A Newcomer's Journey: Restart the Game
by N.kirby
Summary: A remake of my first PSAS fic, with all of the problems it had, fixed. A young sorceress and her companion from a niche game, are sent to the crossed over worlds of PlayStation by Polygon Man. We all know who it is, and how it will go, but what will be different? (Completed!)
1. Becoming an All-Star

**(I said I was done with writing overly long fan-fiction… this excludes short one-shots, and two possible collabs though.**

 **Thankfully, remaking the three-years old fan-fic is not terribly long. There are only about 9 or 10 chapters, and a vast majority of them are already finished, only needing to be edited.**

 **I'll be honest, the original Newcomer's Journey? It was a flimsy mess, as was just about all of my PSAS fan-fiction. I'm not too proud looking back on it, other than most of my dedication at the time. I know people liked those old fan-fics though.**

 **And since PSASBR's fourth anniversary is coming up, along with the idea of remaking this floating around in my head for a long while… I thought "why not?" Everyone will be a lot more in-character this time to do them justice, the elements won't feel too tossed together, _hopefully_ less typos. **

**Basically, all of the problems with the original? _I'm going to fix here_ , to show how far I've come.)**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 _"Have things started over?"_

The purple head floated around his crystallized domain, pondering his surroundings. "No, no, it can't be. I just simply lived after the All-Stars attacked me. It couldn't be anything more. Now let's see!"

Glancing over the worlds he knew, he saw more and more worlds being locked off. Protected, from someone like him to try and mess with. "Blast it! There's no way for me to reach the bandicoot, or anyone of value at this rate! What am I supposed to do!? Try and take control over someone—"

He cut his sentence off and smirked. "Less valuable…? Hm, now wait a moment." Opening up maps and charts, using the crystal blocks like a monitor, the Polygon Man saw smaller dimensions, unprotected.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, "I need to focus on smaller places, yes, bring in a newcomer! One who is weak, and the others can focus on. But which ones first?"

His attention snapped to one screen, which showed off a town.

"What might this one be, now?" Polygon Man chuckled, " _Sorcery Saga?_ This will be very interesting, indeed."

He had to lure them, and Polygon Man knew exactly how to do it.

* * *

Pupuru, a young sorceress, stepped through each corridor. Behind her was Kuu, her gluttonous companion.

It was so sudden, but there was some kind of power radiating in the Oboro Forest. Almost a magical kind, and having a blue aura. Pupuru, being confident as she always was, just had to look into it— even if she was worried about running into someone on the way.

"Do you see anything weird yet, Kuu?" Pupuru asked.

"Ku-kuu?" The white creature replied, digging through his pouch for no apparent reason.

"Why we're doing this? I guess it's my curiosity. Maybe it's a new magic power? A good kind, we can benefit from, or a bad kind that must be stopped? Or it's something related to the Curry God, that can benefit Nicholi's restaurant? Or maybe even restore the curse on Etanya?"

"Kuu," he groaned at how many possibilities Pupuru was tossing around, until she stopped suddenly.

A blue, glowing pentagram was on the ground. "Is this…? It has to be the magic source, Kuu!" She exclaimed, examining it. "What if it's dangerous? Should we go for it anyway, and step into the circle?"

"Gu!" He then quickly hopped over, Pupuru wincing, until she saw that Kuu was unharmed.

"Wait for me!" She followed Kuu into the pentagram, and unlike him, suddenly felt a rush of power enter her body. "Ah! I suddenly feel a new power! Was I right!?"

Her thought was interrupted by them both starting to vanish. "W-what's going on!? This is all happening so fast!" Pupuru tried to hold onto Kuu, who for once, was equally worried. "Hold on, Kuu! We'll be alright!"

The both of them cried out one last time, as they were both gone within a flash of light.

The pentagram was no longer there as well, meaning there was no turning back, for now…

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **Becoming an All-Star**

"Miss?"

After what seemed like a good three minutes, Pupuru opened her eyes, as did Kuu.

A white cat, about half the height of Pupuru, was standing before her, looking confused.

Pupuru didn't freak out about it, she had seen much weirder things, but both her and Kuu were still confused as ever. Looking around, they soon realized they were in a dojo of some kind… filled with living, 2D-looking onions that had almost human bodies.

Kuu had a look on his face like he suddenly hungry, in which Pupuru knew he had to hold onto him for a little while longer, so he wouldn't run off.

"W-where are we?"

"Chop Chop Master Onion's Dojo." The cat mewed, "I am Toro Inoue. Who are you, miss? You just suddenly materialized here, while I was training."

Materialized? Inside of a dojo? Obviously she was warped here, and while she didn't know this cat, he seemed to be polite, unlike most people Pupuru ran into.

"I'm Pupuru, and this is Kuu. We were searching for some kind of magical energy, and found the source of it! We took a risk, and stepped into a pentagram, and we were warped here suddenly it seems."

"Oh!" Toro meowed, suddenly changing his expression from curious to surprised. "You were brought in to be the next _PlayStation All-Star!?_ That's wonderful! It's been getting kind of quiet recently, we were supposed to get two newcomers a long time ago, but… anyway!"

Toro backed away, and got into an adorable fighting stance. "I am going to teach you how to fight amongst the All-Stars!"

"Fight? What for?" Pupuru asked.

"Well, for one thing, with some of the All-Stars and other things that go on, you have the power to be on their level! You need to learn to defend yourself against some of them, who will want to pick a fight," he then shifted his foot, "and helping others may help me become a human!"

She wasn't going to question any more of this, putting Kuu down as the fight began.

"Now! Try using that sword on me!" Toro suggested to her, while Pupuru was confused yet again. "I'll be fine, so don't worry!"

Slashing at the small white cat with her sword, Toro mewed in pain and was knocked back. Pupuru looked concerned at first, but he just smiled back. "Good! Now, um, is that a wand you also have?"

Pupuru nodded, while Kuu just looked bored. "It casts magic, why?"

"Go ahead and use that next!" Toro replied, in which Pupuru followed through, using fire and ice attacks, spinning around in one of them for a combo of some kind.

She was didn't understand how that happened, but Toro just jumped, looking joyous. "Great! Now, what else do you have?" Pupuru hesitated, pulling out the first thing she had in her bag, which was a pot.

Putting it away, she then pulled out some pouched spices, bottles, and some other assorted items.

"I think those are all good options—"

Toro was then cut off by Chop Chop Master Onion himself knocking down all of the walls of the Dojo, revealing a giant machine approaching the city, and a black cat wearing a bow tie about to step in, only to see the place fallen apart.

"Geez! How many times does this place gotta fall in disrepair!?" The black cat hissed, walking into the Dojo. "Who's this girl, Toro?"

Pupuru and Kuu remained shocked at the sight of the large war machine attacking more 2D-looking civilians. "Kuro, this is Miss Pupuru," he explained, "also, don't worry about that. It happens all the time here. Master Onion will take care of that MAWLR. No one is ever harmed by that thing."

Toro then held up his paws. "I'm going to teach you how to block now. As in, I'm going to attack you, and you'll have to find a way to prevent me from gaining AP!"

"AP?" Pupuru asked, but soon saw Toro about to kick her, in which she quickly pulled out the shield strapped to her back.

Toro noticed his attack was successfully blocked off, and he smiled yet again. "Great! You're getting the hang of it! Oh, and AP, is All-Star Power! Now, with me going over all of that… let's fight for real! I'll be easy on you, though!"

With that, Pupuru was put up to the real challenge. She figured out what to do with the other items rather quickly. Mainly the pot made for a good, heavy-damage, single-hit.

Toro was certainly going easy on her, not even changing his costumes like he normally would against an opponent, but he wasn't taking all of the hits either. He made sure Pupuru was paying attention by trying to land a few punches and kicks, which she blocked off, or jumped away from.

That was when Toro noticed missiles from the MAWLR being launched at them. "Dodge! Block and then roll!" He meowed, doing exactly that. Pupuru followed through, narrowly avoiding the missiles targeted at the center of the dojo.

Relieved, Toro noticed the blue glow that he had along with Pupuru.

"Oh! You have enough AP to use a Super Attack!" Toro then backed away, Kuro sneaking up behind him. "We're both at a Level One Super, so… I'll show you mine, just to show you how to pull it off, and then you can use yours on me!"

Getting his distance, Toro prepared to unleash the built up energy…

Which involved Kuro kicking him across the floor, to where Pupuru was. Even though she was far enough, Pupuru rolled out of the way, while Toro got up.

"You dodged? Very good! I had plenty of distance for you to survive that, but you didn't want to risk it!" Walking up to Pupuru, Toro braced himself. "Alright! It's your turn!"

"Uh, how do I…?" It took a few seconds for Pupuru to try swinging her sword around, but it did nothing, as neither did her wand. She then noticed Kuu, who looked antsy. "What's wrong Kuu?"

"Gu!"

With a burst of energy and the blue aura erupting for a moment, Kuu jumped at Toro Inoue, holding a frying pan and smacking the cat with it, causing him to explode into symbols.

"Huh!? Kuu!" Pupuru gasped, walking over to where Toro just was. "Y-you made him disappear!" Right after she said that of course, Toro respawned on the other end of the dojo, and waved, surprising Pupuru and Kuu.

 _"Kick!"_

Their attention then snapped to Chop Chop Master Onion, kicking down the giant MAWLR that was terrorizing the city. Pupuru was distracted by the sight, in which she wondered if this happened on a normal basis…

The fight continued, the MAWLR no longer being a threat, as a crowd formed around Pupuru and Toro. Managing to sneak in another Super Attack one last time before the match ended, Pupuru had gotten accustomed to the All-Star way of fighting in just a couple minutes.

"Great job!" Toro exclaimed, shaking Pupuru's hand. "It feels good to help someone get used to this, you know."

"That was fun! And you do fights like this a lot? It's so much more enjoyable than the tedious ones at home." Pupuru giggled, while Chop Chop Master Onion somehow returned to normal size and made his way back to the dojo.

"You learn very fast, newcomer." Pupuru's attention turned to Master Onion, as did Kuu's, whose stomach began growling at the sight of him. "I apologize if this is sudden, but I have a request for you. My student, PaRappa, has not returned when he was supposed to have a session here originally with Toro, and a young woman. Someone else barged in, but I still have not seen him yet today."

"I don't see why not," she replied, "since I'm here anyway. What does this PaRappa character look like?" Pupuru asked, before looking at the totaled war machine. "Also, what the heck was that thing!? I'm sorry if that's unrelated!"

"He's all two-dimensional looking like Master Onion, looks like a dog, wearing an orange beanie." Kuro explained, while eating a burger, which Kuu was attempting to steal. "That thing is from those Helghast weirdos and— Hey! That's my food!"

Both of them laughing at the situation, Pupuru and Toro said goodbye to each other, as Pupuru began to move on, before finding herself in a completely different, crazy area.

* * *

 **(A chapter will be posted once a week, every Sunday, until _November 20th_ , when PSASBR will have it's fourth anniversary.)**


	2. Two Against One?

**CHAPTER TWO**

 **Two Against One?  
**

"How did I get in this city?" Pupuru said to herself, noticing the night sky while on top of a building. "It wasn't even that long, everything happened so fast!… Ah, I guess maybe while walking, I was warped here too?"

"Yup, that's a normal occurrence." Pupuru turned around quickly to see who was speaking to her, only to see that her wand was gone instead.

"Wha!? Hey! Who took my wand!?" Her answer was met with an anthropomorphic raccoon about her height almost, wearing a blue shirt and hat.

Tossing it back to her, he tilted his hat. "Don't worry, just trying to keep you on your toes. I wasn't really going to take it. I'm Sly, by the way… Who might you be? You a new addition to the All-Stars?"

She was thankful, albeit somewhat annoyed that the raccoon was messing around with her. "Pupuru, and this is Kuu. We were asked to search for someone named PaRappa. I guess I am an All-Star, according to Toro." Putting her wand back where it belonged, Pupuru noticed a pair of other, shorter characters nearby, chatting to each other.

"PaRappa? He was one of the earliest guys to drop in, along with myself. I don't know where he is. Say, Ratchet," The feline-like creature with stripes looked over to Sly, as did a small robot, "do you or your pal there know where PaRappa might have gone?"

"I think he went with Spike and some others to go check out that one lab place. Don't quote me on it though… in the mean time!" Flicking up what appeared to be a giant wrench of some kind, the one supposedly named Ratchet noticed Pupuru. "How about a quick match against the new kid?"

Pupuru flinched at the suggestion. "Already!? But it's two— Er, possibly three of you against me!"

"Not really. It's all of us against each other." Ratchet explained, "Clank is my partner anyway, kinda like your, uh… white rat thing over there." Pupuru glanced at Kuu, figuring that Ratchet was referring to him.

Taking out her sword, Pupuru didn't see why not really. It's not like she was in a real hurry, and she needed to practice more, since Toro was just going easy on her.

Sly was quick, and often cloaked himself so Pupuru couldn't spot him so easily, while Ratchet had several weapons. She had to be careful more about Sly it seemed, since he moved around so suddenly.

* * *

"Sooo my next opponent is…!"

Skipping into the graveyard, the short, lilac-haired girl wearing a jacket of some kind, pointed at the chubby princess.

Accompanying the bubbly girl was a woman with long, red hair. "Say, Riko," the girl wondered, "I thought you said I would be facing two opponents next? By the way, are you going to help me out?"

"My name is Nariko." The red-haired woman replied, sounding annoyed. "You are on your own for this, newcomer. Leave me out of it, so you can face Fat Princess and Sweet Tooth yourself." She then walked over to the sleeping gargoyle statue.

"Well, I see the Fat Princess, but I don't see anyone that would be…" The girl then felt a shadow casting over her, she slowly turned to face what was behind her.

A large man, wearing a clown mask, whose head was on fire.

"What do we have here now? Fresh meat!" The clown laughed.

It took two seconds for the girl to realize that _this_ was Sweet Tooth.

* * *

Pupuru was relying more on her dodges, mainly for when the Negativitron showed up, trying slamming its face where the combatants were. The Negativitron was only successful against Sly, who was cloaking himself to begin with.

As Sly got back up, Pupuru activated another Level One. The previous she had used against Ratchet, when he was distracted using his own Super Attack, leaving him with a giant blind spot for Pupuru to earn a point.

"Sheesh, this girl learns fast, I'm trying to build up for a Level Two here." Sly commented, leaving down an explosive hat for Ratchet, who didn't see it in time.

"I suggest the both of us corner her, if we wish to give her a challenge and keep her from winning." Clank suggested, while attached to Ratchet's back.

"Huh, not a bad idea, Clank. Let's try it!" Ratchet activated Mr. Zurkon; a sadistic, kill-happy robot, who levitated around the duo, while Sly cloaked himself again.

Pupuru noticed the two combatants heading for her, in separate directions. Trying to think fast, Pupuru tossed spices at Ratchet's face. Similarly to the Rage Bomb that Sly uses, Ratchet was soon confused and walking in the other direction.

Noticing Sly was right behind her, Pupuru reacted by tossing a glass bottle at him, which proceeded to slow down Sly's movements.

"Wow, you got little strategies hidden in those pockets of yours. Pretty impressive." Regaining his momentum after a couple of seconds, Sly grabbed onto Pupuru, then kicked her away, nabbing some of her AP.

Rather shocked about that happening, Pupuru stammered. "W-wait, how did you do that just now!? Toro didn't teach me that one!" Sly stopped fighting for a moment.

"Uh, he didn't tell you that throwing is a thing you can do, to steal opponents AP and all?"

"No, you mean… like this!?" Pupuru then grabbed hold of Sly in retaliation, tossed him up, while Kuu head-butted him, forcing AP out of him. Taking the AP, the Negativitron began sucking in parts of the area around them.

Ratchet flung his wrench at Pupuru, making him get enough AP for a Level One attack. Using the chance with her about to land, he activated the R.Y.N.O, but having a little bit of time, Pupuru tried to jump away from it, heading in the direction where Sly was thrown.

In turn, Sly himself was blown up by the R.Y.N.O being fired near him. With the match almost being over, Kuu began to taunt the foes, by making faces. "Ku-ku-ku-ku!" He snickered, as Sly respawned.

With the scores adding up in the end, Pupuru's two kills were favored over Ratchet and Sly having only one each.

"I guess that was too easy for you still, not bad." Sly grinned, using his cane as a stand to lean against slightly. "As usual, the Negativitron from Sackboy's world does a bit of damage to Paris, but it's nothing too bad at least. From here on out, you better watch your step. You'll be fighting three opponents, and items will be up for grabs."

"Items? Like, objects that spawn on the field, can be used during battles, and probably having limited use?"

Sly paused, not expecting her to answer that correctly. "I guess this means you're on your own, until new rules have to be laid out for you. Good luck out there." Hopping off a building, Sly took out his paraglider, flying across the buildings of Paris.

Before Pupuru left, she looked at Ratchet and Clank one last time. The former shrugged, while the latter spoke. "Did you check to see if Sly had stolen anything from you, newcomer?"

Jumping in place, Pupuru checked all of her pockets, before realizing they were messing with her again. The both of them chuckled at Pupuru's annoyed reaction.

"Very funny…" She mumbled.

* * *

 **(Short chapter, which makes it very easy to read over and edit.**

 **Can't come up with better chapter titles..)**


	3. Stationed for Battle

**CHAPTER THREE**

 **Stationed for Battle**

It had only been about ten minutes later, as she suddenly warped there while walking, to the very lab Ratchet was referring to.

"This is the place, isn't it? PaRappa must be somewhere around here then, unless he moved on already." Pupuru searched the area, soon realizing that a man was standing before her.

One wearing a gas mask of some kind, giving off a dark, intimidating feeling. Kuu began growling at him, while Pupuru was speechless.

"You are in my way." He said, sternly, and no doubt glaring at Pupuru. "I do not have time for a small newcomer from yet another world right now, so I suggest moving."

"S-sorry…?" She stammered, before realizing something. "Wait, how did you know that I'm a new All-Star? Or that I'm not from around here to begin with!? Who are you anyway, trying to—"

He then began towering over Pupuru and Kuu. "Is my identity really your business?"

"If… if you know of me, already, then yes! It is!"

Taken aback by her sudden retort, even if a hesitant one, the man answered her. "I am Colonel Radec, of the Helghast forces. As for how I know of you, I am one who likes to learn of potential threats, and study their every move, before removing them… I focus solely on the destruction of my enemy, and if you intend on becoming one, perhaps you should think twice."

Gulping, Pupuru finally moved out of the way for him. She knew she could fight him, but for some reason, Pupuru was too nervous to challenge someone like the colonel. "Good girl. Know your place, until you rise to my level." Radec then exited the Time Station, not wasting anymore words.

Waiting to no longer hear his footsteps as he was walking away, Pupuru sighed in relief. "Ahh! That was scary! My heart was seriously pounding out of my chest right there!" As she recollected herself, Kuu had his ears folded down in annoyance, unhappy over what had just occurred. Okay then, l-let's continue searching for PaRappa."

That was when Pupuru finally noticed to be a computer of some sort, where a group of three were standing. One of them, who happened to be a 2D-looking dog. The other was a young boy with spiky hair, and a man who appeared to be a cyborg.

"Excuse me!" Pupuru called out, remembering the description she was given. "My name is Pupuru, and this is Kuu. We're looking for PaRappa."

They all turned their attention to her, and the dog gave a thumbs up. "That's me! PaRappa's in the house! You're the newcomer, right?"

Pupuru flinched at the question. "H-how did both you and that rather scary man just now figure that out!?"

"I'm Raiden," the cyborg said, "and the kid here is Spike. We were using the Time Station to check for any activity in the worlds."

Raiden then showed off Pupuru's home world on a screen, then one which was completely unfamiliar. "It seems that Polygon Man is back, somehow. He created a dimensional gate in your world, as if he wanted to target something smaller, probably an attempt to push his schemes in a new direction."

"Polygon Man? Schemes?" Pupuru wondered.

"It's a long story," Spike replied, "but Raiden will tell you I'm sure, right?"

Raiden just looked at Pupuru and Kuu, then PaRappa and Spike, withdrawing his sword. "I will, if you can prove yourself."

"I'm being challenged, over this now!?" Pupuru glanced at the other two, who looked somewhat concerned. "Don't you two have any say in this?"

"I've seen worse excuses for fighting, such as being accused of working with someone called Specter." PaRappa commented, while Spike rolled his eyes.

"Then next time, don't get in someone's way when they want to save the world!" Spike snapped back, taking out an advanced net of some kind. Pupuru wasn't going to ask for the history behind any of that. Instead, she was going to roll with it, as the battle started.

Pupuru started off with using fire magic on Raiden, but he countered it by swiping at her with his blade. PaRappa then snagged him over with, away from Pupuru, with a microphone, proceeding to punch the cyborg repeatedly.

Noticing that they were both open, Pupuru sliced them with her sword, trying to earn small combos and build up her AP. Spike got involved soon after, by throwing a bananarang.

That was when Pupuru noticed something suddenly appearing on the field. An axe, making her way over before the others could since they were distracted, she picked it up, and began swinging it around over towards her opponents.

Already, she had hit her Level One, right as the axe ran out of usage. "I was informed of the items, but I didn't realize they would help in ways like this!" Panting in exhaustion, Pupuru noticed Spike trying to use a device of some kind, which looked like a window for attack.

Pupuru used her Level One, with Kuu lunging at Spike, but right after she did, PaRappa used his own Super Attack by doing a kick backflip of some kind.

This was going to prove difficult, not helped by when Raiden picked up a robot of some kind— a Sackbot to be exact— and threw it at his opponents who respawned. "Ugh, I need to find a way to off all of them at once, somehow!" Pupuru complained.

"Just use a Level Two Super Attack, that's what I plan on—" Spike responded, then quickly covered his mouth, realizing he had given away his initial plan.

Pupuru thought about it, but didn't get distracted, as she smacked PaRappa with a pot. "Level Two… I was wondering if there were more than just one." She mumbled to herself, "I guess I should have been figuring that out on my own, it would be weird if there was only one form of Super Attack."

The Sackbot then latched onto Pupuru's face, taking her by surprise. "Hey! Get off of me!" Running around and bits of AP flying out of her, Pupuru managed to shake the Sackbot off. "Alright then, if we're going to play more with the items, then I'll do it!" Picking up a Leech Beam and having a glow around her body, Pupuru ran up to Raiden, attempting to drain the AP he had while using magic on him again.

During all of this though, an albino monkey wearing a helmet approached the computer, and began messing with it. "Hello, my human friends— and dog— How are you?" He sneered.

Spike snapped his attention to the monkey. "Specter!? Quit messing with the Time Station each time there's a battle! You know how it always ends! Can't you stay in the zoo!?"

"I would, but that information about a new world opening up was quite interesting just now. Besides, why not introduce your new associate over there to Satan?"

Pressing a few buttons, a portal opened up in the center of a machine, which unleashed a hideous creature. It resembled an arachnid almost, due to its many eyes, pinchers, and exoskeleton. However, it was not an insect, but a giant, feral Chimera.

The sight terrified Pupuru, but not enough to distract her. It had to just be another non-lethal "hazard", like the MAWLR and Negativitron before it. Specter was most likely just trying to be intimidating with it, as the other three knew very well that the chimera would do nothing to them.

Proceeding with the fight, Pupuru was close to a Level Two attack, but the Chimera proceeded to spit acid at parts of the battlefield. AP was flicking out of everyone, except PaRappa who managed to not step in it.

"This is annoying," Pupuru huffed, picking up an unusual grenade of some kind, and throwing it at Spike's head. It began to levitate and spin around, before firing off, hitting all three of Pupuru's opponents while she gained a small boost of AP.

"What a time for you to disable our Super Attacks, kid. I was going to use one of mine." Raiden grunted, as the acid faded away. Pupuru grabbed onto PaRappa, threw him down, and then jumped on him, nabbing some of his AP, which was enough to hit Level Two.

Spike recognized it, and wanted to keep his distance, but PaRappa foolishly snagged him over with a microphone, then smacked him with a skateboard. Raiden couldn't do much but try and slice Pupuru, in hopes of stalling her.

When Raiden had to temporarily stop, Pupuru unleashed the energy built up. A wave of flames was formed around Pupuru, then quickly spread out to the opponents nearby. All three of them were struck out.

"Ah, so that's my Level Two!" She cheered, while a stray flame went and hit the computer Specter was using. He gasped, as the buttons were all ruined, and the system began to malfunction.

The Chimera was soon sucked back into the portal it came from. "You! You ruined everything!" Specter yelled, preparing to escape. "This happens every time, Spike's annoying rivals mess up my plans, and I constantly have to… argh! Forget this!"

Escaping the situation, Spike shook his head. "Man, Specter has become more cowardly lately. Hopefully I'll take care of him at some point." Just before the match could end, Spike activated his Level One, snagging a monkey in a net while striking PaRappa in the process, who was originally going to pick up another axe.

Once again, because of her having the most kills, Pupuru was victorious. Raiden and Spike were annoyed about losing, but PaRappa didn't seem to mind all that much.

"Nice Level Two usage! By the way, what is it you wanted with me?"

Snapping out of her overjoyed victory pose, Pupuru cleared her throat. "Oh, that's right. Your teacher, Master Onion? Said you had a match with Toro Inoue and someone else at the dojo."

He jumped upon being reminded of that. "I totally forgot! Nariko was supposed to join us! Then after that, I was going to hang out with Sunny Funny and my friends. But, now with the Time Station in disrepair," PaRappa huffed, "I guess I won't be able to go back easily any time soon."

"I think we should focus more on the fact Polygon Man probably returned, PaRappa!… Speaking of, Raiden, are you going to explain that to her now?" Spike asked.

Raiden readjusted his body and sheathed his blade. "Polygon Man was the one who lured everyone out of their world, me included, in various ways. When we thought it had ended, he came back to bring in three more characters, along with the King of the Gods himself; Zeus.

"All of them were warned about Polygon Man, and we had defeated Polygon Man yet again, hoping that was the end of it. That wasn't the case though, even when Zeus thought his godly powers were enough. Looks like once again, we were wrong. Since you are now with us."

Shocked, Pupuru's eyes remained widened at the revelation. "What is this Polygon Man character planning anyway? Why did he pull me, and the rest of you, in this?"

"The truth is, we're still not sure," PaRappa replied, "a whole lot of us assume maybe he wants to conquer all dimensions known, whatever that means."

"My theory is that he pulled each potential threat to his plan, away from their own worlds," Spike said, "that way, he can take over these worlds and then get rid of us on his own. It's the only one that makes sense to me!"

Raiden then glanced at the broken computer. "Spike, can you get the Professor here? Without Ratchet or Isaac around, this can't be fixed easily."

"Sure thing! What are you going to do, Pupuru?"

"I think… I'm going to see where I warp next. I want to learn even more about battles, and challenge that Radec character next time I see him!" PaRappa and Spike winced when Pupuru announced that, thinking she was crazy.

Before either of them could stop her, she walked out of the Time Station with Kuu, who had somehow gotten ahold of a banana, and was now eating it.

* * *

"Right-o! I beat you!" The lilac-haired girl laughed, surrounded in a hellish arena of some kind, where a bunch of unusual creatures were singing.

Both the Big Daddy and the "bad karma" counterpart for Cole MacGrath seemed highly upset by their loss, drawing back.

"You freakin' annoying kid, you didn't tell me you could pull that off." Evil Cole spat, slamming his amp down on the ground. "If it weren't for the fact Nariko was around, and those All-Star rules are protecting you, I would snap your neck right here."

Hopping off of a cliff, Evil Cole fled, while the Big Daddy trudged away with a smaller girl that had glowing eyes and pale skin.

"Yeesh, these guys are creepy. Hey, space-man! You're not bitter over losing like they were, are ya?" The girl approached Isaac Clarke, who was on his knees, holding his head and shaking.

He was losing his sanity it seemed, and before Nariko could tell the girl anything, she simply slapped Isaac across the face. "Hellooooo! Come in space-man! This is no time to be drifting off!"

Somehow, that actually made him snap out of it. He stopped holding his head and looked at the girl, and then Nariko. "Sorry, I was… having a moment there, like I was trying to remember something." Isaac sighed, getting up back on his feet. "But that kind of power you have, I… I don't understand it, yet at the same time, it feels familiar."

"I can explain it to you on the way, because you're going to be joining my party!" The girl chirped, much to Isaac Clarke's confusion.

"Wha... party?"

"Yeah, it's the rules of an RPG! Some characters who are human-looking enough that get defeated in battle, and are actually good, get dragged into the party."

Isaac slowly glanced at Nariko. "She did this to you I'm guessing?"

"She has been full of bizarre humor and suggestions the moment she arrived. I was first to face her, on top of that." Nariko replied.

"Onward, Riko and space-man!… Uhh, is that giant dude in the helmet going to be alright?" The girl asked one last time, about to skip away from the scene, as she looked down near a cliff.

Isaac Clarke hesitated at how strange this newcomer was, before replying to her. "The Patapon always torment Hades in this place when we battle, so he'll be up after a while. Also, my name is Isaac Clarke, you don't have to call me 'space-man'."

Mostly ignoring that last part, the girl continued her quest, with two allies begrudgingly joining her.

* * *

 **(… Y'know, thinking it over, I would kinda like for Specter to be a playable character, if PSASBR ever got a sequel.**

 **I mean, we have Zeus, and he's not only the second represented character for God of War, but also the primary antagonist for the games mostly. No reason to not give Ape Escape a similar treatment, by making Specter an All-Star. Especially considering he's one of the most popular characters for Ape Escape fans.**

 **Same with Dr. Nefarious, since he was originally planned for the roster before being made into a stage background character instead.**

 **That's all I have to say really, since I have no interesting input for this chapter. :P )**


	4. A Grave Situation

**(I haven't done this in a while, buuuuut time to respond to guest reviews.**

 **XY Kid: I love the PSASBR game and I wished there were more characters,Specter and specifically!**

 **Answer: Oh dear, this website's curse of cutting off names into blanks strikes back. And yes, I would very much love Specter involved.**

 **Marcus the Kane: Isaac and Raiden,nice! If you're putting Specter in the story might as well add Senator Armstrong from MGR,he's awesome!**

 **Answer: Sadly, this story was completed ahead of time, and only a handful of villain characters show up!… Though, now you got me thinking of what the heck the nanomachines meme for Sorcery Saga would be like…**

 **Wait I got it.**

 **Pupuru: "Why do you get stronger?!"**

 **Possessed Puni: "Curry spirits, Pupuru. Power increases in response to physical trauma."**

 **… That was the best I could do.)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

 **A Grave Situation**

This time, Pupuru found herself in a graveyard. Caskets were bursting out of the ground, and zombies coming out to attack her, which she fought back against with fire easily.

"Eugh, we only walked for about two meters, and now we're warped here." Pupuru and Kuu were uneasy due to the scenery, although, it was about to get worse with what they would run into next.

There was a clown, whose head was on fire, getting into an argument with two other character. One who was a blonde girl who had a black cat of some kind accompanying her, and a muscular man with white skin and some unusual red marks on him.

"She was tough," the clown grumbled, "a god-slayer like you should have been here, cupcake. I would have stood a better chance!"

"What does me defying the Gods of Olympus have to do with it?" The man questioned. During all of this, Kuu leapt out of Pupuru's arms, running up to the blonde girl in excitement.

"Ku-ku!" He purred, rubbing up against the girl, and then stretching his arms out. All of them were startled by Kuu's sudden intrusion, but the girl didn't mind, and instead picked him up, while her cat hissed at Kuu.

"Aw, were did you come from?" Cuddling the small creature, Pupuru hurried over to the group.

"Kuu! Stop that!" She scolded her companion, but hesitated on pulling him away from the other girl. "Sorry, he… really likes girls. That and food."

Kuu continued smiling and looking innocent, as the girl began petting his head. "It's not a problem! He's very cute!" The girl replied, having an accent belonging to an unfamiliar language. "I'm Kat, what's your name?"

"Pupuru," she replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kat. And just as long as he's not being a bother…" Pupuru then noticed her cat. It began purring, and Pupuru saw that rather than completely black, the cat had a space-like pattern on its fur. On top of that, it had no visible eyes. "What a strange-looking cat. Am I allowed to pet it?"

"Of course you can!" Kat answered, still hugging Kuu. "His name is Dusty, he's very friendly, except when I need him in battle." She then directed Pupuru to the two men, who weren't sure what to make of the situation. "This is Kratos, and the clown is Sweet Tooth."

"The truck's name is Sweet Tooth," the clown chuckled darkly, "I'm actually called Needles Kane. But if you want to tie good ol' faithful's name to me, then I don't mind… as for you though!"

Pupuru winced, expecting Sweet Tooth to threaten her like Colonel Radec. Instead though, he stood there, putting a gloved hand on the chin of his mask, as if he was pondering. "You're name is too hard for me to say, personally. So instead, I'm going to give you a nickname like I do for cupcake over there… how about, _'sugar'?_ "

"Sugar?" Kratos grumbled, hitting Sweet Tooth in the gut. "Must you give anyone new you encounter a ridiculous title?"

"For the most part, yes." Sweet Tooth laughed again, slowly taking out his machete. "Just like how I called the girl who beat me earlier, 'pudding cup'!"

"Oh boy, another fight is going to start, huh?" Pupuru shrugged, bringing Kuu back to her side. "In that case, I'm ready for it when you three are. Best to let out your anger here and now, right?"

Kratos withdrew his two blades. "None of us shall hold back. Prepare yourself!"

The match started with Pupuru making a reckless hit with her sword, and getting kicked by Kat in turn. Kratos charged at the both of them with a spear and shield. Sweet Tooth pursued the both of them, as a gargoyle statue awoke from his slumber.

"Ah, another user of sorcery," the statue rubbed his eyes, "you seem more like the type to walk into havoc, not raise it. Poor you." He said in a sarcastic tone, which Pupuru ignored as she was using her ice magic on the opponents.

A casket rose from the ground, but just before it could open up, it was blown up by an angel statue to drop several AP orbs. Pupuru was surprised, but collected the AP as quickly as she could, while Kratos did the same.

Everyone was reaching their Level One Super Attacks very quickly from the amount of combat going on. Pupuru wasn't sure whether or not to use it right now, while she was swiping her sword at Kat.

Waiting for all of her foes to be crowded together as they were fighting each other, Pupuru tossed spices into the fray, which hit Sweet Tooth. Making sure she wasn't too far or too close, she activated her Level One, as Kuu made the clown explode into particles.

"That's one score for me!" Pupuru exclaimed, while Kratos activated his own Level One to take out Kat. Soon after, Kratos charged up the head of Helios, unleashing a beam of light that stunned Pupuru.

Sweet Tooth and Kat respawned, as more shenanigans were going on in the background. The whole arena suddenly turned white as a swan of some kind flew by, while another casket exploded with AP.

Pupuru was rather stunned by the change, but tried to ignore it, focusing more on her enemies. If she wanted a good shot of winning by a landslide against them, a Level Two would probably be a good idea. She could certainly reach that too without much risk.

After everything turned to normal— besides the statue of a king that was now there— Pupuru swung her sword again, then followed it with fire magic while Kat summoned assorted objects and debris with her gravity powers, using them as projectiles, with Kratos's head being the target.

In fury, he retaliated by using his blades against Kat and Pupuru, while Sweet Tooth swung his chainsaw around for a good few seconds as well to corner the girls.

Kat was flung away from the scene, while Pupuru attempted to roll back into it, not realizing Sweet Tooth was well-prepared for that. "Here you go!" He said, lunging at Pupuru to slap a pack of dynamite with a timer to Pupuru's back, then kicking her away.

Kratos was successful in avoiding being caught in the blast, and Pupuru exploded along with Kuu. The two respawned shortly after, and in annoyance, Pupuru picked up the strange pair of claws that were lying around as an item.

"Good enough equipment for the job!" She then jumped up, diving at Kratos and Kat, using the Razor Claws on them. AP came out of them as they were knocked down.

After collecting more of it, Pupuru waited for them to get up, but not before Sweet Tooth used his shotgun on the girl to sent her flying across the graveyard.

"Consider this and the explosives payback for earlier, sugar." Sweet Tooth laughed, tossing a lit bottle between Kratos and Pupuru, which set the ground on fire for a short period of time.

In an attempt to slow him down, Pupuru threw a pill at Kratos, who was on the verge of reaching a Level Two when he began swinging his blades at Sweet Tooth.

The swan flew by again, making the background white out, and paint splatter all over the place. Platforms were created for the combatants to use, even when the white-out suddenly faded away.

More AP came out of the caskets, and time was running out, only a minute and thirty seconds remained. Pupuru had to hurry and even out the score.

What would even happen if they got a tie?

Kat proceeded to kick Sweet Tooth while floating around, and Kratos slammed down a large hammer, which created a fiery shockwave. He reached his Level Two, and instantly activated it.

Striking the ground with a giant sword, a black tornado formed, disposing of Pupuru and Sweet Tooth, while Kat moved out of the way in time. "Die!" He shouted, before pulling the blade out.

Returning, Pupuru huffed. She was definitely going to have to take care of Kratos next, otherwise he would win. In fact, the first thing Pupuru, was grab Kat and throw her with Kuu's help.

"Sorry! I need to borrow this!" Pupuru exclaimed, nabbing the AP that was knocked out of Kat so she could reach her own Level Two. Afterwards, Pupuru ran up to Kratos, while Sweet Tooth pursued his rival.

As the two were about to clash, Pupuru saw it as a window of opportunity. Activating the Level Two, which Kat kept her distance from yet again, she used flaming waves to get rid of Kratos and Sweet Tooth.

There wasn't any way Kat could think of winning now, which was fine by her. She wasn't trying to play hard on the newcomer like the other two. Somehow though, with all the AP Pupuru built up, she had enough for another Level One just about.

Less than a minute was left, and time had to be used wisely. Kat ran over to Pupuru, who was once again fighting off Kratos. She prepared her Level One, dashing towards the two.

Kratos was struck, an orb of energy from inside him was stolen. Pupuru jumped away from the scene, hoping to not be caught in it, as Kat crushed the orb completely which offed Kratos.

"Whew, I almost got… Ah! Blind spot!" Pupuru noticed Kat was distracted, and sent out Kuu for her Super Attack. She exploded as well, while Sweet Tooth was making his way back over to his opponents after picking up a purple-colored spear.

After Kat and Kratos returned, Sweet Tooth tried to use the item on Pupuru, but time had ran out.

That one extra kill had won Pupuru the match, along with Kat using the Gravity Squeeze on Kratos. She and Kuu were surprised at the results, but happy nonetheless.

"That was a close one!" Pupuru laughed, in a rather nervous manner. "I'm sorry for taking advantage of your blind spot, Kat."

Kat however wasn't upset, and smiled in response. "It usually feels bad to lose, but you're new here, right? I think if you didn't avoid my Level One and act so quickly, you would have gone into Overtime, where Kratos would have…"

"Overtime? What's that?" Pupuru asked, while Kuu began rubbing up against Kat again.

"It's when you have a draw, and need to have a shorter match with the ones you tied with. Getting AP is doubled. But if you have another draw, it's tripled!" Kat explained, cuddling Kuu.

Kratos, while bitter at his loss despite trying his hardest, approached the girls. "You fight decently, sorceress," he said, "what is your goal? Whether it be in your world, or the ones you travel?"

Pausing, Pupuru wasn't sure how to respond to that one. "My goal? I came here by accident, looking at what looked to be a source of magic power. I wouldn't mind becoming stronger. Though, I also want to find a way to help my favorite store, Smile Curry, if I found anything that could help!"

"A store?" Sweet Tooth chuckled, also upset and heading for something behind the giant angel statue. "Tell us more about it when I get the truck."

Pupuru continued speaking with Kat and Kratos, unaware of what Sweet Tooth said, until an ice cream truck was suddenly pulled over. Pupuru was surprised, having never seen a vehicle before.

Especially not ones with guns attached to them, and having a clown head at the top of it.

Sweet Tooth rolled down the window. "Who wants to go on a little mystery ride to wherever the next destination is?" He called out to the others.

"Needles Kane, this better not be a trap." Kratos growled.

"What? You think I'm going to kidnap and kill sugar over here? Where would the fun in that be? Not like I'd be able to, considering the All-Star effects." Sweet Tooth pointed out to him, while Pupuru opened up the back door, since she wasn't exactly keen on the passenger seats.

Inside however, was a rather fat princess, eating ice cream cake. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I have a stowaway back there. She wanted a snack after the last match we had," Sweet Tooth said, "just tell her to move over if there's a problem."

Kat stepped in, carrying Kuu and Dusty accompanying them both. Pupuru did the same, albeit unsure at first. "Hi there! I'm Princess Plump, hailing from the kingdom of Titania! Though, you can just call me the Fat Princess, I don't mind either way."

Knowing that she was a princess, Pupuru did a curtsy in her presence, then sat next to Kat. "My name is Pupuru, and the one Kat is holding is Kuu. It's… Um, a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

Fat Princess giggled at the response. "You're a heck of a lot more courteous than the last girl we ran into, who was hanging out with Nariko!" She began stuffing her face with more ice cream cake, somehow not getting brain freeze from it.

Pupuru remembered that Nariko was the woman PaRappa and Toro were supposed to have a battle with, partly wondering who she was, or what happened to her. Kratos meanwhile, stepped into the passenger seat of the truck.

"I didn't say I invited you to join us." Sweet Tooth sneered at his rival, who refused to look him in the eye.

"Even if they can all handle themselves, I do not trust you. I am coming along, whether you like it or otherwise."

Not seeing any room to argue about, Sweet Tooth began driving out of the graveyard of Gallowmere.

Just the very moment he did however, someone else drove into the graveyard, on a motorcycle no less.

The gargoyle opened his eyes again, glad that the match was over, but annoyed he was still getting unwanted visitors. "The fight ended minutes ago, what do yo— Oh! Er, Death, you certainly look different today. What's with the uh, new attire?"

It took a moment for the gargoyle to realize, that this wasn't the grim reaper he was used to seeing in Gallowmere.

* * *

Dante, Jak, and Emmett Graves were practically getting destroyed by the lilac-haired girl.

"This girl is pint-sized, and we're getting mopped by her! What gives!?" Daxter complained.

"Honestly, I agree with the weasel for once," Emmett concurred, "this is getting out of hand!"

Nariko and Isaac just kept watching the battle, further impressed at how the girl was handling things. She had only gotten caught in a Level One once by Dante, and that was it. The rest of the time, the newcomer was either lucky, or skilled.

The entirety of San Francisco, after just about two minutes, started ascending into space somehow. A station of some sort with a green dome was responsible, having used a tractor beam.

A humanoid robot with a large dome for a head appeared, his feet having jets of some kind, allowing him to fly. "This is the end, you morons!" He cackled.

"Dr. Nefarious? Why now!?" Jak groaned, lowering his blaster and looking at the robot. "You always have to antagonize this place? Why not go after Ratchet and Clank, since they're your enemies?"

"Bah! I don't care, as long as filthy squishies are eliminated!" An unusual machine of some sort arrived as the mad doctor spoke, and the girl lost focus for a moment.

She thought it over, then snapped her fingers. "Aha! I knew that my _tsundere_ senses were tingling in this stage. It's you, isn't it, background character?"

Drawing back a little in confusion, Nefarious clenched his metal fists. "What do you mean 'background character'? And what in the world is a tsundere, you idiot!?"

"A character type, who starts off hostile and cold, frequently insulting someone by calling them idiotic." She said, still holding up a finger and looking smug. "But they will gradually warm up to others, and actively deny it, usually to save face."

Isaac Clarke just held his head and sighed. "He's just a bad guy from Ratchet's universe, what makes you think he's that complex—"

"That's not true at all! You… you fool!" Nefarious shouted, causing the girl to giggle to herself. "E-enough of this! Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler, get them!"

"Hoho, I read you like a book! Hopefully I didn't raise some kinda flag though, you aren't my type at all. But my sister really likes r— Yipe!" Getting caught in a bubble along with Dante, Emmett used the chance to use his Level One on the girl, and the demon hunter for that matter.

Nefarious simply started laughing again, when the girl respawned, she puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. "Now that wasn't fair. I didn't wanna do this, but now I guess I gotta!"

With the exception of Isaac Clarke and Nariko, everyone soon turned their attention to the quick glow of light around the girl. They were almost blinded by it, but it faded just as fast.

Daxter's jaw dropped. "Whoa momma!" He exclaimed, as Dante grinned at what he was now seeing.

"This is getting completely ridiculous. You wanna explain to us how you did that just now?" Emmett questioned.

Jak glanced at Nariko and Isaac, giving them an upset look of some kind for not mentioning this. Even Dr. Nefarious was too stunned to react, as he began to neglect the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler merely out of shock.

The voice of a more mature woman began speaking to her opponents. "I don't think this is the time or place to tell stories. If you don't mind, I'm going to finish this!"

* * *

As they were starting to head for where the next warp and destination was, Pupuru told them all about where she was from, and what her goal was overall.

How she was a student who completed her magic exams, graduated her school, and is now trying to help her favorite curry shop in Dish Town, owned by Nicholi.

Pupuru left out the parts about her being constantly tormented by others. Along with one regarding her biggest motivations.

"As for what I want to do here," Pupuru said, "I want to learn more about this Polygon Man guy. According to that metal man with white hair… his name was Raiden, right? He's the one who has the power to bring people like you guys, and myself to other places."

"That is correct." Kratos replied, not having any sort of reaction to the backstory Pupuru was telling them. He found it weird at best, nothing really to comment on. "Polygon Man's motives are ambiguous. He treats those who fight, like us, like mere toys."

"It's so peculiar… Oh!" Pupuru remembered something just now, since she had brought up Raiden and Polygon Man. "Also, that Colonel Radec character, what's his deal!? Next time I see that guy, I'm going to challenge him!"

For once, Kratos finally grinned a little, especially when he noticed Sweet Tooth's only visible eye start to widen. "Are you sure about challenging him? Radec? He's vicious, aaaand that's coming from me."

"Basically, Radec is the kinda character that scares Sweet Tooth even. Not an easy feat." Fat Princess explained, much to Sweet Tooth's chagrin. "The only person to successfully defeat Radec in a duel was Sir Daniel, his rival." She then giggled, remembering the colonel's loss and his furious reaction all too well.

"And he hates when that's brought up." Kat sighed, petting Kuu in the process. "I know that All-Star rules will protect you no matter what, but if you defeat someone like Radec, he'll really have it out for you—"

That was when the sound of bullets were heard, shooting Sweet Tooth's truck. Everyone was surprised, while Sweet Tooth himself checked his side mirrors.

"Speaking of 'having it out' for someone…" Sweet Tooth rolled down his window after seeing a certain character trying to catch up with him.

Riding a motorcycle, wearing a helmet, a leather jacket, and having a scythe strapped to his back. The only actual body part of the pursuer that could be seen were his bony arms.

"Long time no see, lollipop!" Sweet Tooth shouted.

"Needles Kane, enough toying around!" The other character hissed, opening up a hatch of some kind on the motorcycle, which revealed a missile. "I will have your soul today, along with Calypso's!"

Sweet Tooth shook his head and chuckled, even though everyone else was in panic mode. "Good ol' lollipop, I missed him actually. I have no idea how he managed to track me down here though—"

"Kane! What is the meaning of this and who is attacking!?" Kratos yelled.

"Don't be jealous I've had crazy enemies before you, cupcake. That's Mr. Grimm. He's the grim reaper, and he's a junkie addicted to souls. As for why I call him lollipop, it's because he's skinny, and a huge sucker."

Slamming the gas pedal, all of the girls and the two animal companions were flung to the back of the ice cream truck. Pupuru wished she could get a good look at whatever was going on, noticing a window for where the ice cream would probably be served.

Peeking out of there without opening it just yet, she saw the character on the motorcycle as well. The visor portion of his helmet was preventing his eyes from being seen.

"Am I allowed to open this window?" Pupuru asked.

"Wha? Are you trying to get yourself killed, sugar!?"

"No, I want to help get him off your back so we can live if anything!" She snapped at Sweet Tooth.

He had no one to blame but himself really for not preparing for any sort of attack, as Sweet Tooth didn't stock up on any weapons for his truck. As such, it was probably best to have someone else help him if they could.

"Alright, fine. Do what you like, just don't blame me if you lose your head. He's not a stage hazard, or an All-Star for that matter!" Sweet Tooth replied, giving up. Kratos glared at Sweet Tooth for allowing it, in which all he could do was shrug at him, as if asking if Kratos had any better ideas.

Fat Princess attempted to open side window, as Kat used gravity powers to lift up objects. The moment the window was opened, Kat took her time to make sure the ride wasn't shaking too much, so she could get a good shot at Mr. Grimm.

He didn't even noticed that he was veined targeted until Mr. Grimm felt a flower pot smack his head…

Followed by a chair, and then a wooden barrel somehow. The last one cracked his helmet, rightfully angering Mr. Grimm as he threw it off. A cracked skull was revealed, having glowing red eyes in the sockets.

"Yikes!" Fat Princess squeaked, diving down along with Kat, the both of them terrified by the reaper, who tossed an explosive ball of some kind at them.

The truck shook around, and Mr. Grimm pulled himself over to the window. "You girls better know what you're doing back there!" Sweet Tooth shouted, as his passengers were knocked down onto the floor for a moment.

"Kane, just focus on driving!" Kratos was tempted to try to fire an arrow out the window, but Mr. Grimm was on the driver's side of the truck, and not his. It was far too risky, as he may hit Sweet Tooth instead.

Pulling out his scythe with one hand while trying to carefully steer, Mr. Grimm swung the weapon. "Seems that someone here has a death wish, and wants to become my next meal." He said in a low tone of voice, snagging his scythe onto the open window. "I may not be Calypso, but I can certainly make it come true if that's what you desire. Now stay right there!"

Standing in front of him, Pupuru tried to look confident. "Okay then, I'll stand still," Pupuru said, "so I can do this!"

Using her wand, she launched a fireball spell at Mr. Grimm, who didn't expect it.

* * *

 **(I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again: classic Grimm was the best Mr. Grimm, and I prefer using him as the "secondary" Twisted Metal character over anyone else. Like Specter though, he doesn't do much here other than act antagonistic.**

 **… This chapter was so much longer than the last three, geez. And yes, the "sugar" nickname was a reference to JaredtheMan05's old fan-fics.)**


	5. Familiar Grounds and Faces

**CHAPTER FIVE**

 **Familiar Grounds and Faces**

The reaper lost his grip the moment the fireball impacted his head, forcing him to let go of the scythe. Balance and control over his motorcycle was gone soon after. Falling off of it, the motorcycle went off without Mr. Grimm for a few seconds, before slowing down and toppling to the side.

After that, the ice cream truck vanished in a warp, and there was no way for Mr. Grimm to catch up.

"I shall have you yet, Needles Kane," he growled. "you cannot run from my grasp forever!" Pounding the ground with his hands in frustration, Mr. Grimm saw someone fly near him.

"Are you alright?" A woman's voice asked.

Mr. Grimm looked at her, then saw that quite a few others had been watching him this whole time, since he had warped to Black Rock Stadium during the chase.

This included a burlap sack doll, a very tall man with a beard, and Sly Cooper, whom Pupuru faced earlier. Recognizing the bearded man in particular, Mr. Grimm knew he couldn't make a scene and start stealing souls.

"I… I'm fine." Glancing at the woman again one last time, Mr. Grimm picked up his scythe to put it away, then approached his motorcycle.

"Enough distractions," the bearded man yelled, "show me your power, romanized one! I will not be tempted by your appearance!"

Isaac Clarke could only watch in amusement, hoping that this newcomer would win against the King of the Gods. Nariko couldn't help but feel the same way.

* * *

The ice cream truck stopped, arriving in a volcano. Sweet Tooth wasn't sure about the place they were in, considering the heat could probably melt some of the ice cream.

Pupuru on the other hand, was excited. "W-wait a moment, this is the Flaming Volcano! How did we get back here!?" She exclaimed, looking outside along with Kuu, who finally jumped out of Kat's arms after eating a popsicle.

"Back here? You mean to say you recognize this place?" Kat asked, as everyone except Sweet Tooth got out of the truck.

"Of course, it's a location from my world!" Pupuru examined the area, instantly noticing some unfamiliar characters. There was a man with dark brown hair, wearing a backpack of some kind who used a pistol to kill a Lumplin, while a skeletal knight was doing the same for a Kleptotroll.

"Looks like this place was affected by Polygon Man's power after all, if other All-Stars are here." Kratos said, then looked over to Sweet Tooth. "Aren't you coming out?"

"No, I'm too exhausted." Sweet Tooth said, leaning back in the carseat. "Especially after that chase with lollipop. I'm gonna sit back, play music, and make sure the ice cream doesn't melt." Turning on the radio, Rob Zombie music began playing, giving off a nostalgic feeling for him.

That moment was cut short however, when Kratos opened the driver's side of the door, tore off the seatbelt, and yanked Sweet Tooth out of the vehicle. "This is no time to be playing games!" He shouted, throwing Sweet Tooth to the ground.

"Who are these two?" Pupuru asked Fat Princess.

"The treasure hunter? He's Nathan Drake," she then directed to the skeleton, "and the knight over there is Sir Daniel, he's the Hero of Gallowmere!"

Pupuru thought it was only right to approach both of them, mainly to ask what they were doing in the volcano. Sir Daniel was undead, but if what Fat Princess said was true, he was probably friendly.

"Pardon me! Mr. Drake, and Sir Daniel?" Hearing the girl call their names, they looked at her after the monsters were disposed of. "My name is Pupuru, I'm a new All-Star you could say, and um… Sorry if I sound rude, but what are you doing here?"

"What are we doing here?" Nathan Drake raised a brow at her. "We found a new world from one of Polygon Man's warps, which lead us here. I took the time to search for treasure here, while Sir Daniel… whatever his reason was, I can't understand him."

Part of Pupuru wondered what Nathan Drake meant by that, until Sir Daniel walked over to them both and started speaking. "I said, that the evil wizard has returned, and will strike again soon!" Sir Daniel said, in a rather muffled voice.

… Now she saw why at least.

"He lacks a lower jaw, and it makes it impossible for anyone to understand him, save a select few like that white cat." Nathan Drake explained to her.

Pupuru looked up at Sir Daniel, who stumbled for a moment when he saw the girl's crown. Confusing her for royalty of some kind, Sir Daniel kneeled before Pupuru. She didn't understand why he did that, other than chivalry of course. "Sir Daniel, could you repeat what you said just now if you can? Or maybe just shorten it?"

Raising his head, Sir Daniel tried to make himself clear. "Evil wizard," Pupuru understood that part, "he may return, in the same way he did earlier!"

An evil wizard? Was Sir Daniel talking about Zeo Uyghur?

He wasn't so much evil, even though he did use dark magic. If anything, Zeo was just kind of arrogant and had terrible luck, especially with his wording. Usually Zeo showed up around in a place like this too.

"If you don't mind me asking, who is this wizard you're talking about?" Pupuru wondered.

"Zarok," Sir Daniel replied, "an evil wizard who wanted to take over Gallowmere, and tried to attack the King's castle!" Pupuru couldn't help but be disappointed at the response. For once, she was actually looking forward to meeting someone from her world.

Mainly because Zeo was actually kind of tolerable, and it would be funny if he made a bad impression on the other All-Stars by slipping up his intents. She also missed Puni and Etanya already, two of Pupuru's closest friends.

Running into Zeo was certainly better than running into… someone Pupuru didn't want to think about right now.

"Is something wrong kid?" Nathan Drake asked.

"Nothing, just thought it was someone else for a moment." Pupuru sighed, averting her gaze another portion of the volcano, hoping she'd recognize someone nearby at least.

Blinking a few times, Pupuru's body jolted slightly. She recognized someone alright, but not from her world.

Colonel Radec, standing there and talking to a man who had black, pointed hair, wearing an outfit that had a tiger imprinted on the back. Perfect timing more than anything.

"You again!" Pupuru yelled, stomping over to the colonel along with Kuu, who hopped by her side, glaring at the two men. "Finally, I found you! What was your deal earlier? Threatening me like that, then walking off! Did you think I was going to take that!?"

Looking down at her, Radec was rather surprised to see her catch up to him, but not enough to question Pupuru on anything. "Considering your response when I encountered you last, yes." His voice was chilling, making Pupuru's spine shiver by uttering just a single sentence.

"Who's this girl now?" The older man noticed Pupuru, along with Kuu, then laughed. "More knock-offs! All just carbon copies, watered down, of something else more popular, and trying to mask itself as a new series or a successor."

Insulted, Pupuru drew back. "W-what do you mean by that?" She stammered.

"I shouldn't have to say a word, those small kitties would know exactly what I am talking abou— Gah!" Kuu spat at the man's feet in anger, not liking what was being said.

"Ku-ku-guuu!" He snarled.

"Such insolence! Disrespecting the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu like that!?" The man snapped at Kuu, forcing Radec to hold him back, ironically.

"Enough, Heihachi. Belittling this newcomer can come later." Just like last time, Pupuru felt him towering over her. "What is it that you want now? I am here to strategize for when I fight in this arena. Particularly, against that pathetic excuse for a rival."

Speaking of which, that was when Sir Daniel stepped in. He ceased walking towards them though, when he noticed Radec giving him a look of death.

Pupuru only then just realized that Fat Princess mentioned Radec lost to Sir Daniel at some point. She wondered how that was possible in the first place, but wasn't going to ask about it now.

"I'm here to challenge you!" Pupuru declared, pointing at Radec confidently. "I've become a bit stronger, and learned more about fighting like the rest of you. So now, I… I'm going to beat you!"

There was a long pause, indicating Colonel Radec wasn't taking her seriously, despite Pupuru meaning what she said. "I would comment on how you must clearly want to meet your end, but the All-Star rules protect everyone, for better or worse. Even with that in mind, I do not think your threats of defeating me hold any water."

"You think I'm bluffing?" Pupuru took out her sword, slowly and carefully, to try and look serious. "You sound like you're just afraid to lose a second time to someone you've never met, and looks weaker than you!" The second she said that, Sir Daniel gestured for Pupuru to cut it out, afraid of what would happen next.

Once again, Radec went silent. He wasn't amused this time however, just as Sir Daniel predicted. Pupuru could tell that she went too far perhaps, even though she couldn't really see his expression.

Sighing, Colonel Radec readied his rifle. "I was going to let you walk away, since you do not seem like a worthy adversary. You are practically asking for it though."

He began to move, circling the girl with the rifle in his hands, as if Pupuru was about to be attacked by a shark. "Allow me to introduce a new set of rules, before you meet your maker. This will not be a timed match, but one of who can get a total of three kills. The one who reaches that amount first, is victorious. Do you understand?" Radec questioned, now behind the girl and leaning over her shoulder.

Nodding, and… sort of blushing, Pupuru felt sweat rolling down her neck. "Good, let us begin. I will crush you, along with my pathetic rival over there!" Radec backed away from Pupuru, pointing the rival at a startled Sir Daniel.

"I need to redeem myself after the previous fight I had anyway!" Heihachi cracked his knuckles, readying himself for a fight.

Nathan Drake didn't want to get involved. Only four people could fight on the field anyway. Everyone else just watched from a distance, hoping that this wouldn't result in a complete disaster.

Kat was so focused on the battle that broke out, that she didn't notice that someone approaching her from behind. "What's this now?, A fair lady, in a place as dangerous as this?"

Flinching, Kat turned to see someone who looked like a young man. His hair was a very light tan color, having horns on his head, wearing a rather complex outfit which had a cape.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, chuckling, and trying to look charming. "Another one of you foreign characters, so far, you're the only one worth my attention."

"Um… who are you?" Kat asked, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Ah, pardon me. I am the Evil Lord, Gigadis," the man smiled, "pardon me, for being captivated by your beauty, my dear!" The others finally noticed Gigadis, particularly when he suddenly announced his title.

"E-Evil!?" Kat stammered, stepping back as Dusty began hissing at him.

"Oh great, what's going on now?" Nathan Drake asked Kratos.

Kratos narrowed his eyes at Gigadis, not trusting the devilish-looking man for a moment. It seemed to be a mutual feeling amongst the group of All-Stars though. That guy was rubbing them the wrong way entirely.

Just before any of them could attempt to question or intimidate the demon, he noticed the battle going on.

"Oh? Pupuru…!?" Hearts began forming in his eyes, Gigadis looked overjoyed to see the young sorceress. "My sweet fiancee, my lovely queen! I was wondering where she was!"

Sweet Tooth actually blanked out at that moment. "Fiancee?"

"Weren't you just hitting on Kat a second ago?" Fat Princess pointed out, but Gigadis ignored them both, absorbed in the battle that was going on.

Pupuru unfortunately, was getting flung around so far. Each time she tried to activate a Level One, Heihachi interrupted her, or Colonel Radec did instead. She didn't have much choice but to go for a Level Two Super Attack, since it seemed that's what Sir Daniel was going for.

Shocked at how she was getting beaten down by her foes, Gigadis gasped. "Who are these fools, who dare to hurt my queen!?"

Getting up, Pupuru used a magic scroll to zap Heihachi, leaving him stunned for a second. Sir Daniel picked up a Fusion Bomb however, and tossed it in the direction of his opponents.

It went off like a fireworks show, each particle from the bomb that hit the others, forced a lot of AP out of them. Sir Daniel gathered what was dropped, reaching his Level Two.

He waited for Heihachi to return to the ground, and then used it. Sir Daniel took out his Souls Chalice, which shot a beam of light. The older fighter exploded into shapes, Pupuru successfully rolled away from one of the small souls that tried to pursue her, but Radec wasn't so lucky.

Pupuru and Sir Daniel soon heard the sound of cannons being fired. They were both alerted when the sky darkened, lightning struck as a pirate ship entered the battlefield.

"Open fire, Captain!" A lanky man, wearing a dressy, red-violet robe and some kind of horned headdress was on the ship. Gigadis instantly bailed when he saw the ship sailing in his direction.

"Zarok!" Sir Daniel exclaimed, no longer paying attention to the battle, where Radec respawned and was using his sniper on Pupuru from a distance.

Him being distracted costed him dearly however, as Colonel Radec knocked Pupuru across the fiery grounds, then used his Level Two Super Attack. Taking out an Arc Cannon right as Pupuru got up, both her and Sir Daniel were eliminated by a long, green laser.

Now both Sir Daniel and Radec had two points, both only needed one more to win. Pupuru had to catch up, make sure neither of them beat her, and that Heihachi didn't pull something crazy as well.

More cannons were fired, forcing lava to flood portions of the area. The combatants had to be more careful now, as stepping in it probably would probably make them lose AP, since all hazards pretty much did.

Pupuru began relying more on her items, and threw Heihachi to steal his AP. She was close to reaching a Level Two, but needed to lure her foes first.

Several monsters were fleeing as another cannonball struck the ground, forcing the lava to erupt. Sir Daniel was caught in it, being thrown across the place while losing AP. Zarok laughed at his old enemy's misfortune, and Pupuru waited for him to get up.

"I'm really, really sorry Daniel," Pupuru said, "but I need to win this!" Fiery waves surrounded her yet again for her Level Two Super Attack, both Sir Daniel and a reckless Heihachi were struck by it, and exploded.

Colonel Radec broke up a Nanotech Crate, taking the AP that was inside, allowing him to use a Level One. "I'm finished with you!" He hissed, taking out a W.A.S.P Launcher, and trying to lock onto Pupuru. "Looks like you will not have your victory—!"

A fireball was flung at him from Pupuru, canceling his Super Attack. He didn't expect her to be so quick on her feet, whether that hit was intended to stop Radec or not.

Zarok kept watching, amused by it all, until the boat shifted and started to rock. "What's happening!?" The whole ship was then swarmed by alerted, and irritated monsters from the Flaming Volcano. "Oh no… Curses!"

Before long, the whole ship was taken down, but not before Zarok fled the scene by using magic to vanish. The unfortunate Captain of the Ghost Ship and his crew however, were overwhelmed with monsters. Once it was gone, a large, ruined castle of some kind was revealed in the background.

Pupuru used some of her ice magic along with her sword, successfully reaching her Level One. She either had to try again, or build up a Level Two again, something she definitely didn't want to waste her time on.

Radec was so focused on her, able to dodge the spices or pills Pupuru tossed at him. Of course, with them paying more attention to each other, this would only bite them, neglecting their opponents.

At least anyway, it bit Colonel Radec as he felt a chicken drumstick hit him on the head, belonging to Sir Daniel. Wanting him out of the way, Radec turned around and readied his knife, but Pupuru saw this as a chance to end it.

Kuu appeared, leaping at Colonel Radec, forcing him to explode and give Pupuru the last point she needed. That was it, the match was over now.

Upon realizing that they lost to the newcomer, Radec looked around frantically, and angrily. Heihachi got onto his knees, charging electricity a he punched the ground.

Sir Daniel just smiled in his usual, jawless, goofy manner. He had no reason to be annoyed that he didn't win. Though he was probably still confusing Pupuru for royalty.

"I did what I said I would, and defeated you," Pupuru boasted, "yet another win for Kuu and I!" In the background, Fat Princess and Kat cheered for her victory.

But then, a slow clap was heard. Kratos looked to see where it was coming from, and saw that Gigadis had returned.

Pupuru's stomach and confidence dropped when she saw Gigadis, Kuu began growling, and Sir Daniel wasn't sure what to make of him. Other than being wary of Gigadis, since he appeared to be a demon clearly.

"Wonderful battle, that was such an amazing display, love." Gigadis ran up to group, practically shoving Sir Daniel out of the way. "This pitiful lot stood no chance against you, I do not know why they even bothered to try."

"Ugh," Pupuru gagged, "Gigadis, I thought Cliora had you on a leash practically."

"Er, w-well," Gigadis stammered, "I had not heard from either you or Kuu in a long while. You weren't anywhere in town, or in Smile Curry for that matter. Even your teacher did not know of where you were! I began to worry, for my future queen!"

Heihachi started to laugh. "Future queen? This one? As always, with these poor knock-off characters!" Gigadis glared at him, but remained cool for now.

"Correct, Pupuru is the future queen of the underworld, soon to become my wife!" The reactions to Gigadis's claim were mixed. Pupuru was embarrassed, since Gigadis was the last person she wanted to see, for reasons such as his sudden antics alone.

Sir Daniel was baffled, and Heihachi continued laughing. "Why must you show up at the worst possible moments? I've told you time, and time again, I'm not your queen! You're not even my type, quit being such a moron!" Gigadis almost looked hurt by her words at first, but instead just began grinning sheepishly.

"I see, so this one an unwanted, delusional stalker of some sort." Radec said, observing Gigadis, who was disliking the Helghast further with each passing minute. "Yet they make someone like him a noble? I almost say it's a pity you have to put up with him, and I often don't feel sorry for those who—"

"Silence!" Gigadis snapped.

It was one thing to call him a "knock-off" like Heihachi did, but another for his status and love, to be insulted. "What are you trying to do? Steal my fiancee away from me, by acting all menacing!?"

For once, Radec actually winced, and Pupuru's face went red. "Where did you get such a ridiculous accusation from!?" The colonel retorted, however, Gigadis ignored what he just said and kept going on like a blithering idiot.

"How envious I was, to see Pupuru beating down the likes of you." Gigadis sighed, his nose starting to actually bleed. He kneeled in front of Pupuru, and held out his hand. "Please, my dear! Fall into my arms, so we can get away from these fools, who dared lay a hand on you!"

Pupuru was about to tell him off a second time, and Kratos was tempted to go down there to step in, until they both noticed Radec grab onto Gigadis's cape. Yanked away harshly, and then thrown to the side, Gigadis was met with a shotgun pointing in his face.

"I'll give you the count of three to get out of here, scum!" Radec threatened. No one was sure what to do. Pupuru would feel bad, but Gigadis technically brought it on himself, and she didn't want to defend him so he would latch onto her again later.

Everyone was so focused on the scene with Gigadis, that they completely disregarded Zarok, who had never left the area despite the rampant monsters.

Nathan Drake however, who wasn't particularly finding anything he wanted, but still holding onto whatever he looted, definitely noticed something was off when he saw a bunch of demons being summoned.

"Oh crap," he muttered, "Kratos! I got bad news, I think the guy who was on that boat is messing around. We need to get out of here!"

Kratos snapped his attention to the wizard, and was unsure whether to fight him right there and the Shadow Demons that arrived. Sir Daniel certainly was, just as he saw them. Gigadis though, used the chance to get away from Radec.

"I hope you like dealing with this, Fortesque!" Zarok taunted.

Pupuru didn't have time to prepare herself for what happened next, far too shocked at the sight of the Shadow Demons.

Between the heat of the volcano, and being unable to react to a Shadow Demon suddenly lunging forward to strike, Pupuru was knocked out along with Kuu.

* * *

 **(This is going to sound like the worst idea ever, maybe?** **But… Zarok is one of the other characters I wouldn't mind becoming playable in a PSASBR sequel, as a rival to Specter or some other villain.**

 **I mean, like Sir Daniel, he's appeared in all three MediEvil games. He made a cameo in 2, and was originally going to be part of the story where he's forced to help Daniel, against Lord Palethorn.**

 **Maybe for fun, I could write Round 2 concepts again, just for what a ridiculous story/arcade mode involving him would be like. Considering his magic, I don't think it would be too hard to come up with a moveset for him.**

 **Now Gigadis, he's one of those characters amongst Sorcery Saga players that either find him to be a lovable idiot, or a creep. I'm in the mix of both, despite my depictions of him in the past.**

 **He's still an inferior version of the _original_ dark prince though…)**


	6. Calm Before the Storm

**(Time to respond to guest reviews again! I'll make these short, because I don't feel like jumping too much into detail I guess.**

 **XY Kid: Honestly I did an awful job with their interactions looking back, lol. Hopefully I can fix that to feel more in-character here. No need to dwell on the past mistakes when I can improve for the future.**

 **Marcus the Kane: A quick look at the wikipedia page for Sorcery Saga will answer that question, it's also how I learned about the game, because I was familiar with certain other series~**

 **Guest: I am the queen of nonsensical pairings.**

 **Alright, now, on with the chapter!)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX**

 **Calm Before the Storm**

She began stirring, as if it was all a bad nightmare.

Pupuru was murmuring in her rest, same with Kuu. She was shaken for a moment, in someone's attempt to wake her up, but it did nothing.

"Just five more minutes…"

Their response was the sound of a gun firing, rapidly into the air. Yelping, both her and Kuu were woken up, now trembling. Pupuru looked up in front of her to see Colonel Radec, in an unfamiliar area.

Radec didn't say a word, only standing there, pointing a gun upwards, with bullet casings spilled onto the ground from him firing.

Kuu was glaring at him, and Pupuru wasn't sure what to say. She was waiting for him to say something first, since the obvious question of what was going on, could easily just be read on her face.

"I was requested to bring you somewhere out of your world," he explained, "due to those beasts showing up, you were endangered. I wished to stay for battle, but there was the possibility of that lecherous idiot calling himself a noble returning for you. As such, since I had already intimidated him, I brought it on myself to get you away from his presence. Kratos objected to it, but I assured him, that I intended nothing malicious… this time."

Pupuru blinked, still trying to come up with something to say. She assumed that the All-Star rules didn't make her invulnerable to everything, especially when an actual battle between All-Stars was over.

"Initially, I had ulterior motives which involved questioning you, but that would be a waste of time." Radec prepared to leave, as he wasn't a very patient character, and thought getting back to the Flaming Volcano was in his best interest if the fight against the Shadow Demons was still going on.

"W-wait!" Pupuru got up onto her feet, stepping towards him and then halting. "You aren't hurt, are you? Or hungry?" The mention of the latter made Kuu start rubbing his tummy. Even though it had only been over half an hour since he last ate.

"Do not patronize me. Especially after we had just fought."

"Patronize…? N-no, that's not it at all!" Pupuru objected, trying to reason with him. "I just wanted to thank you, for getting Gigadis off my back, and bringing me somewhere away from those monsters." Someone like Radec was never shown gratitude before, especially not in all his years of fighting against the ISA, or other PlayStation All-Stars. "I would feel really bad if I didn't return the favor, especially since I was so hostile to you." She said, lowering her gaze.

"There's, uh, still no need for that I'm afraid." For once, he appreciated the concern, as Pupuru's intents really were honest. Radec wasn't used to it in the slightest, and it felt a bit awkward. "I believe Cole MacGrath is somewhere in this area. Unlike his counterpart, so to speak, he is one to protect people. So even if you do somehow managed to step into danger here, he's likely to help."

Pupuru heard that more as _"another person to challenge in her adventure"_ than anything else. Radec could tell that was on her mind too. "Now then, I will be departing. I have stayed here long enough." Turning on his cloaking device, Radec went invisible before the girl's eyes.

She couldn't hear him, or see him, so Pupuru wasn't sure whether or not Radec was gone. "I expected him to be really upset over what happened," Pupuru whispered, "but he didn't antagonize me as much as I thought he would. Maybe he was harsh at first, but it's not like I was any better."

"Ku, ku?" Kuu folded his ears down, not trusting the colonel whatsoever.

"I know, I'm too nice about this. I want to learn more about him though, because there's obviously a reason for him acting the way he does. I think that's one reason I was chasing after him." For a third time, Pupuru blushed, her cheeks turning into a rosy color as she giggled soon after. "A-anyway, let's get cooking, literally. I know you're hungry as always, and I might as well eat too, so I'm not famished later." Taking out the large pot, some spices, and rice, Pupuru prepared to make a small dinner.

Kuu's bad mood instantly faded as he helped bring out some cooking utensils for his partner, and best friend.

* * *

The Shadow Demons were eventually all disposed of. Though, the All-Stars had unfortunately lost track of Zarok.

Sir Daniel took it upon himself to search for the wizard. Kat was worried about Pupuru, as both her and Kratos would rather wait for Radec to return and confirm her safety.

Heihachi left, as did Sweet Tooth in his truck, and Fat Princess with her villagers. There wasn't any point for them to stick around. Nathan Drake stuck around, if any to search for anymore possible treasure.

Zarok thought he had gotten away just fine, and was ready to leave the volcanic area, so neither Sir Daniel nor any aggressive monsters he can't control, would come after him.

"As usual, seems that Fortesque couldn't keep up," Zarok chuckled, "first he didn't bother checking whether I was dead or not, and now he doesn't bother to try and give a good enough chase. As expected of that decomposed excuse of a—"

"You!" A voice called out to the wizard.

Jumping before Zarok, was of course, Gigadis, looking infuriated over what had just occurred. "Who are you to summon those pitiful excuses of demons, and have them attack my bride!?"

Zarok winced at the his accusation. "Your _bride?_ "

"Yes, one of your demons attacked Pupuru, the future queen of the underworld! Have you no shame!? She was knocked out cold, and I wished to reach out to her, but… there were too many of those other nuisances in the way, who would probably misinterpret my actions."

Really, the only part of Gigadis's rant which held Zarok's interest was that first part. "I'm sorry, what was that about the underworld?" He questioned, almost wondering if Gigadis could actually be helpful in some way.

"Do you have no idea who is confronting you right now? I am Gigadis, son of a great demon lord, one of the highest ranking nobles in the underworld!" The gears started turning in Zarok's head after that, tuning out whatever Gigadis continued to ramble on about.

He had a feeling that Gigadis was strong, despite him acting like a complete pushover when it came to the girl he loved. Maybe Gigadis could help Zarok's goals, if there was any way to convince him. Zarok enlisted the help of demons as it was already, and a crew of undead pirates, might as well ask for his assistance too.

"I er, deeply apologize, my lord." Zarok attempted to kneel in front of Gigadis, faking his respect. It definitely caught Gigadis by surprise, when Zarok glanced up to see his expression. "I myself am an evil wizard of the sorts, you could say, and have been trying to exact my revenge on the kingdom of Gallowmere— or, whatever is left of it, by taking over the land.

"You must understand, I did not know any of this, and I will try to be much more careful next time." His voice was condescending, but Gigadis wasn't able to tell. "Is there anything I could do to patch this up? I hate to know I have ruined things for someone such as you."

Thinking it over, and not even once thinking Zarok wasn't trustworthy, Gigadis nodded. "Well, since you're offering, and actually show your respect, unlike those other imbeciles!"

Most definitely, this was an alliance no one wanted.

* * *

Pupuru didn't realize until while she was eating, what kind of world she was in. It was a futuristic-looking city of some kind.

Ships were flying everywhere, and nearby where they were eating, Pupuru noticed a large statue of a man wearing a weird suit. Pupuru was so distracted by it, that she didn't notice someone coming up to her and Kuu.

"What do we have here? More outsiders from another galaxy?" A large, bulky man, wearing a green costume said. Pupuru looked at him, and then back at the statue, realizing he was the one sculpted over there. "Admiring my statue? I know, I don't blame you. captures all of my good sides!"

He began flexing, imitating the statue that wasn't too far from them. "Um, who are you?" Pupuru asked, making the man's ego deflate instantly.

"You don't know who I am!?" He quickly tried to think of a reason for Pupuru and Kuu to not know his identity, nodding. "Well, I guess that's normal for people like you who aren't from this universe.

"I, am Captain Qwark! Superhero from the Solana Galaxy, promoted to commander of the Solana Government's military," he continued, "before I was finally voted as Galactic President of the Polaris Galaxy. I'm visiting my home planet Kerwan, just to see how the city of Metropolis is holding up!"

Pupuru blinked, still having no idea what any of that meant and if he was serious. "I… I'm sorry, I don't understand what any of that means, Mr. Captain Qwark—"

"What's that your eating there? Could I try some?" Without much thought, and before Pupuru could say yes or no, Qwark scooped up some of the curry on Pupuru's plate with his finger, then stuck it in his mouth. "Whoo! That's a strong flavor, I think I'm going to need water!"

"I didn't say you could— ah, forget it." Pupuru sighed, handing her dish to Kuu, who took out a sponge from his pouch, then started looking around. "It's called curry though," she explained, "there are many variations, but I made one that was mildly spicy with the ingredients I had. You mean to say you've never had any?"

Kuu wanted to clean the dishes, but it seemed there was no way for him to do so. "Kid, I've never even heard of it." Qwark replied, still wishing he had some water.

That was when lightning suddenly cracked, Pupuru was startled and Captain Qwark began running away from the scene, thinking it was another non-forecasted storm.

"I sense another newcomer in this mortal city. Where are they!?" A tall man with a white beard and pale eyes shouted. The only thing he was wearing was a toga, and golden armor around his left shoulder. Pupuru jumped in fear of the man, as did Kuu for once.

He finally looked down, seeing Pupuru. Rather than upset though, he gave a sly sort of smile. "Why… hello there, beautiful," he greeted, "did I frighten you?"

This wasn't the same feeling she got from being around Radec at all, it felt more like genuine fear, since this character definitely had some sort of godly feel to him. "A little, I guess." Pupuru answered, trying her hardest to be brave. "I… I am a newcomer though to the All-Stars, if that's what you're referring to though. My name is Pupuru."

Chuckling, he folded his arms. "What a sweet girl you are. Very polite, unlike the one with the romanized name I ran into prior." Pupuru was becoming curious now, she had been hearing instances of some of the other All-Stars running into another newcomer, and this story sounded very similar to Fat Princess's. But she hadn't met anyone like that so far.

"I am Zeus, King of the Gods," he stated, "I have come here to watch over this city, built in the sky by mortals, to see if the dreaded Hydra would return." His pleased expression soon turned into a frown. "That one mortal man, who dares have control over bolts of lightning in the same way I do, he cared more about evacuating and rescuing whoever was nearby—"

"Is that a problem?"

This time, a bald man with an amp of some kind on his back approached the two All-Stars. "Whoa, when did this girl get here? Uh, isn't it a bit dangerous for someone her age to be around, when the Hydra might show up?"

"Such does not matter, MacGrath. If you are truly not blind, you would be able to see that this lovely lady is a user of sorcery, and has weapons ready for anything." Putting a hand on Pupuru's head, which made her uncomfortable, Zeus chuckled. "She is actually another soul drawn to the battles by the false god. Her name is Pupuru."

An orange weasel of some kind soon popped up between the three of them. "Pleased to meet ya, Pupuru! That's a bit of a weird name, where ya from?"

"Dax!" A young man with yellow-green hair, having pointed ears and wearing goggles ran up to all of them.

"Hey, don't worry, I'm not bothering anybody!" Although the weasel creature didn't seem to notice how Zeus was ticked off from how many people were butting in to his original conversation with Pupuru. "The guy with zappy powers is Cole, my sidekick back there is Jak, and I'm Daxter. But you can call me, Orange Lightning!"

Pupuru couldn't help but giggle lightheartedly, Kuu was annoyed by the amount of guys present, missing Kat already. "So, if I had to take a guess, you're all my next opponents?"

"Uh, kinda jumping to things a bit quickly, aren't we?" Cole asked, rather perplexed at how eager Pupuru was.

"Maybe," Pupuru replied, "but I just finished eating, so I'm full of energy again, and so is Kuu. Say hi, Kuu!" The small beast didn't acknowledge the others around him, even though Daxter was almost his height. "Sorry, I guess even when he's in a better mood, he doesn't like talking to guys. Oh well. I can ask questions after!"

Cole was thankfully done getting residents of Metropolis to safety, as was Jak. Neither of them seemed to mind the idea of a quick fight. "Alright then, if you say so." Cole agreed, getting prepared for the battle. "Just be aware, this arena can get a bit hectic."

"No problem!" Taking out her sword, Pupuru was ready to battle. Zeus was highly amused by how excited she was to fight, and in a non-malicious way. He hoped it would provide great entertainment.

Everyone took their places, and then the fight started. Pupuru started off by using her sword on Zeus, while Jak used his gravity gun on Cole.

"Do not underestimate me, mortal. I am not," Zeus then punched Pupuru, "going to be easy on you. I want to see what a mortal like you can do, without me playing around."

Rather surprised at Zeus, Pupuru was zapped by a bolt of lightning next. "If you wish to impress the likes of a god, I suggest taking your power levels to the highest they can go." He smirked, knowing that Pupuru would probably do just that now that it was suggested.

"Hey, don't be too hard back there." Cole said back to Zeus, swinging his amp at Jak, and then freezing him with ice powers.

Zeus wasn't too terribly fast even though he was powerful, which Pupuru took advantage of by using her ice magic and pills to slow him down further. She had already reached her Level One, but refused to use it, because of what the god said to her.

They all soon collided with each other, Pupuru using fireballs while in the air, and then following it up by slamming her sword to the ground. Picking up a rocket launcher, Pupuru examined it. "What… Kind of item is this?" She wondered aloud, pointing it.

Jak instantly knew to get behind her and avoid it, but Zeus and Cole weren't so lucky, as Pupuru fired it at them, making them lose a bunch of AP for her to collect. She was pleased the the discovery, using it two more times before realizing it had only three rockets.

"Guess I should have used that more wisely." Pupuru mumbled, nabbing inn the AP— enough for a Level Two— and waiting for her opponents to get back up, just so she could use a magic scroll on them. But Jak, who had already reached his Level One with the help of a Gyro Buster, activated it used the Precursor Legacy on Pupuru while the other two combatants dodged it narrowly.

She returned with Kuu as usual, only to feel rain droplets on her head. Captain Qwark returned, running to where they were, but didn't step into the arena.

"Oh no, here it comes…!" He complained. The city was soon flooded with water, the trees losing their leaves from the storm that suddenly happened.

A giant dragon head appeared from the water, knocking Captain Qwark away. Two other, smaller heads accompanied it. Pupuru was so distracted by how it suddenly arrived, that she didn't realize Zeus was now holding an item.

A murder of crows was sent in the girl's direction, confusing her sense of direction and freaking Kuu out. This, combined with flinging lightning bolts at Jak, lead to Zeus getting a Level Two.

"Kneel before me!" He bellowed. Pupuru ran to the left side of the conveyer belt, while Jak rolled to the right. Cole was in range for Zeus's Ultimate Storm attack, but managed to get far enough away from the god by getting low enough to the ground.

Zeus wasted his Super Attack in the air, and he was not happy about it. The belts started moving apart, and a grinder was revealed as a platform levitated. Jak used another Level One on Cole, while Pupuru found another Spear of Destiny.

She couldn't let Jak win. Pupuru had to get even more AP, and fast. Risky, but it may be worth it, if there was something beyond Level One and Level Two.

What else could Zeus have meant, if there wasn't a third Super Attack?

The largest Hydra head struck Jak. Cole respawned, and Pupuru used the spear on Zeus. After three uses like the rocket launcher, Pupuru was no longer able to use it, or take AP from her foes.

So close, she could feel energy surging in her body. Flung into the air by Cole's ice attack, he anticipated Pupuru coming back down and strike him.

Yet, he would rather give this newcomer the win. Somehow, Cole could tell someone as happy as her, should earn it.

A very bright, blue aura surrounded Pupuru and Kuu. Without hesitation, she used what was her Level Three.

Everything went white, as a book appeared in Pupuru's hands. She opened it. Multiple pages were flipped, before a shining light came from it, forming a large, elephant creature.

This, was the Curse of the Great God. Three more lights came from the apparition, surrounding Pupuru before targeting her opponents. Within that single scene, the magical lights struck all three of them at once.

The match ended, and Pupuru's Level Three Super Attack faded, leaving her with no more AP.

Captain Qwark returned after climbing up to where the Hydra was, whose largest head tried to chomp down on him this time. "Again with this? Hydra buddy, listen, buy some breath mints first!" Captain Qwark attempts to pry the mouth of the Hydra back open, while another head chomped on a ship.

"What's the big deal!? That was savage!" Daxter groaned, holding his head. "The first newcomer we run into changes her shape after mopping the floor with us, and now this one pulls out a Level Three within just a couple of minutes! We were close to winnin' too!" Jak of course, rolled his eyes at his partner, not really caring much about it.

"Impressive." Zeus said, dusting off his hands while bringing his attention to the Hydra. "Now, with that out of the way, I shall rid of this beast! Begone, Hydra King, or face the wrath of Zeus!"

Instead though, the Hydra flung Captain Qwark at the god, unable to try and bite the superhero.

Cole examined all the water, and made sure no one else was in it, as he simply began firing small electricity bolts at it.

The reaction was violent. The Hydra was electrocuted, roaring painfully to signify its damage. Overwhelmed by the amount of electricity despite the beast's strength, the Hydra passed out, leaving its fate unknown.

Zeus angrily pushed Captain Qwark to the side, upset that Cole stopped the Hydra before he could. "That was amazing!" Pupuru beamed, as Kuu took out a small tub which collected some of the rainwater that was falling. He was hoping to find a way to clean the dishes at the very least.

"It was really just an easy thought process. I mean, it's submerged in water and all. I was just waiting for Qwark over there or whoever he is to get to some place, uh… safer than right where the Hydra is." Cole explained to her. "So, how did you get and become an All-Star?"

Pupuru, once again, had to go over everything as best as she could, including the parts about Polygon Man, which she didn't know much about. It stopped raining eventually, much to Kuu's annoyance, but it seemed like he would have to make due with what water he had.

While cleaning the dishes with a small sponge and an equally small soap bottle, Daxter walked up to him nonchalantly, most likely bored with what Pupuru was talking about. "So am I allowed to ask if we can trade partners?" Kuu just glared at him, then went back to cleaning the dishes.

Once he was finished, Kuu dumped the water away, then dried off the dishes, putting them away into his pouch.

"So, your Level Three Super Attack is kind of like Toro's. No one can escape it, at the cost of you only getting three kills from it." Cole said to Pupuru, hoping she would understand that, which she did.

"Toro didn't tell me about Level Two or Three Super Attacks, I just found out about them as I went on." She then remembered something that was bothering her. Two things, technically. "By the way, why are you and Jak here in this city?"

Pupuru knew that Zeus mentioned something about them saving others, but wanted to have more context behind it. "I was asked by Ratchet to come check on Metropolis for him, after Daxter and I put up with that Nefarious weirdo in San Francisco." Jak didn't want to bring up his loss against someone else during that time, even though Pupuru was going to ask anyway. "Cole asked if he could come help me out when I was on my way here."

"Aaaand Zeus was here just for the Hydra, because he needed to vent or something." Cole laughed, angering the god who was standing right there.

"Speaking of," Pupuru wondered, "is there another newcomer besides me? I think Sweet Tooth made mention of something, as did that older man… Zeus? Daxter? Didn't you say you ran into a girl also?"

Grumbling, Zeus responded in an intimidating voice. "A foolish woman with the romanized name for Poseidon. Her looks were deceiving, as she changed before my own eyes. The raccoon and the doll would back me up on it!"

"Don't even need them for that, because I can attest to it, Zeus." Jak sighed, realizing that the topic was inevitable. "She came in just before Dr. Nefarious did in San Francisco, fighting me, Emmett, and Dante." Cole was actually surprised to hear this. He was mainly joking about Zeus being furious about something bothering him earlier, and needing to take it out on the Hydra.

On top of that, Cole never ran into anyone like that so far today. Perhaps his alternate self did, but they actively avoided each other. "Was she, uh, evil in any way?" Cole asked, in case it was that much of a threat.

"Nah, just made a lot of bad jokes, like Daxter."

"Hey!" Daxter objected.

Cole shrugged, unsure what to make of it, other than one thing. "Looks like you got a rival running around, Pupuru. A tough one at that. How many battles have you had so far, before reaching us?"

Counting each encounter she had, Pupuru mumbled to herself. "One, two, three, four, five… This is my sixth one, why?"

Everyone went quiet. All of them expected this to have been her fifth match at least, but if using her Level Three so easily meant anything, it was that Pupuru was probably ready.

"Listen, keep moving for now. We're all going to catch up with you." Cole said, sounding a bit more serious. "You're going to warp somewhere else at some point, which only you can go to. Jak and I will regroup the other All-Stars."

Rather puzzled at his reaction and statements, Pupuru lifted Kuu off of the ground, since he was finished cleaning. "Why are you suddenly being vague? Is there something I should know about?"

Cole started to leave, as did Jak and Daxter. "Don't sweat it, kid! Cole's just saying you got a rival to face, it's either you or her, so don't let us down!" Daxter said, waving goodbye and running off with his partner.

Zeus remained there for a good minute, examining Pupuru one last time. "I hope you recall what your first match was like. You shall have a duel with the romanized woman soon. For you, mortal," he smirked, "I wish the best of luck. I would very much rather accompany you, so you could win, and rejoice with me, on Mount Olympus… Though, that last one could still—"

"N-no thanks." Pupuru backed away, making sure to not trip over the unconscious Captain Qwark. Kuu blew a raspberry at Zeus before they departed, walking through Metropolis to find the next, and final warp.

* * *

 **(Rival fight hype! _*tries to do a drum roll on a table*_**

 **I wanted to make a joke about Zeus turning into a swan like the original story, but couldn't find a good place to use it…)**


	7. The Rival

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

 **The Rival**

Blue. Just, the color blue, everywhere.

A blue aurora wavered past the polygonal pillars, which were also a crystalized blue color. With each step Pupuru took on the glassy floor, it reacted with a slight glow. Kuu was mesmerized by the sight, touching the floor and the pillars while wandering. Pupuru saw shapes floatings with the aurora. Mainly triangles, squares, circles, and X's.

"This is the weirdest dungeon I've ever seen. Yet, it's also one of the most beautiful." Pupuru looked over to her companion, who was still running around curiously. "Don't you agree, Kuu?"

"Gu, gu." As he was hopping about, Kuu realized that the crystal didn't give off a reflection of any kind. If anything, they almost felt like they were filled with some sort of energy, such as AP possibly.

Kuu's ears began to twitch lightly, as he heard someone rapidly pacing around the area. It couldn't have been Pupuru though, because it wasn't the sound of her boots which he memorized for so long, nor did the clinking of a sword and shield accompany it.

Peering past one of the pillars, Kuu saw a girl. She had D-pad clips in her short, lilac hair, with purple eyes that matched it. She wore a white jacket-dress that had a hoodie, blue and white stockings, and sneakers.

"Hey now, you're an All-Star, get your game on, go plaaaaay!" The girl sang.

"Kuu? What are you looking at?" Pupuru asked, checking to see who or what her companion was staring at.

The other girl seemed to notice right away that she was now being watched, smiling cheerfully. "Oh, hey there! I was wondering when someone would finally show up! You're my opponent for the climax fight, huh?"

Pupuru almost thought that this girl was jumping into things too fast, but remembered that she had kind of done the same, as did a few All-Stars. It would be hypocritical to say something like that. "I… guess so? What does that mean? Who are you anyway?"

Giggling, the girl put her hands on her hips. "The main character of main characters, heroine of this adventure; Neptune! CPU of Planeptune!"

Now Pupuru knew what Zeus was ranting about when he mentioned a "woman with a romanized name". She seemed alright though, her unusual declarations aside.

"Aaand a climax fight, is a one-on-one duel against a 'rival' character, before the big bad. Don't ask how I know these things, I'm just all-too familiar with this kinda structure! What's your name?" Neptune asked.

"I'm Pupuru," she replied, "that's Kuu. Also, no offense, but what is a CPU?"

"Console Patron Unit," Neptune answered, "a goddess of a nation, my good friend!"

Bewildered, both Pupuru and Kuu flinched in unison. "G-Goddess!? But you don't look anything like a—"

A bright light suddenly surrounded Neptune's body. Pupuru and Kuu were forced to look away, or they would most likely be blinded.

Hair becoming darker and growing out into a pair of long, braided pigtails. Her body became taller, appearing more like an adult. No longer was Neptune wearing a white hoodie, but instead, a black latex suit of some kind, which had purple and silver marks on it.

Opening her eyes, they were no longer purple either, but blue. Her pupils were now white, in the shape of a power button. "Transformation, complete." Wings spreading out, having a lilac, crystalized look to them. "This, is my Hard Drive Divinity form; Purple Heart. Easier for you as, my goddess form." She spoke in the voice of a mature woman, a futuristic katana materializing in her hands.

Pupuru was in awe, while Kuu looked extremely happy at the reveal, running up to Neptune excitedly. "Kuu, wait!" Pupuru called out, but Purple Heart didn't seem to mind, and began petting the creature.

"I have defeated the others that stood in my way, and it seems I have no choice but to do the same with you, if I wish to reach the final boss." Pointing her katana, Kuu instantly hopped back over to Pupuru, who was also taking a few steps back.

This was the "rival" thing Cole was referring to it seemed. On top of that, this the girl that was giving everyone else trouble, and Pupuru could see why, unsure of what she was about to experience in just a minute.

The battle started with Neptune— or more accurately, Purple Heart— swinging her katana at Pupuru, and then following up by kicking the sorceress with her heels. Pupuru barely even got to react, because of how fast she was moving.

Now all Pupuru could think was that she was going to get creamed by this fellow newcomer. Yet, she was going to try to win anyway, even if the odds of skill were stacked against her. On top of that, with no items or hazards of any kind around, it looked like Pupuru was going to have to use whatever she or Kuu had by themselves. Not an easy task, when Purple Heart's katana ignited, striking Pupuru with the hot, flaming edge of her blade.

Right after that too, Pupuru noticed gusts of wind swirling around the katana this time before she was sliced. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it seemed Purple Heart was able to apply elemental power to her attacks, somehow. Waiting for Purple Heart to be wide open, Pupuru tossed spices at her, then used a scroll to stun the goddess just for a bit longer. Getting her distance, Pupuru tossed fireballs, in hopes of getting AP from afar, since she didn't know what risk would be taken if she got too close again.

Purple Heart knew what her rival was doing, and it was because she had a Level One, ready to be used. Trying to corner Pupuru to the wall of pillars, and then knocking her down by using a gun of some kind, Purple Heart smirked.

 _"Cross Combination!"_

Pupuru got back up to her feet, only to hear that Purple Heart activated her Level One, and was calling out the name of the Super Attack. Swinging around and moving forward, Pupuru couldn't jump away from it, due to how big Purple Heart's blade was.

That was one point for her. Pupuru dreaded how the rest of this fight was going to go…

* * *

Just about nearly every All-Star was standing in the Time Station, the coordinates being adjusted so they could warp to where Polygon Man resided, now that it was repaired. It was a mutual agreement that they would all regroup there, and they let each other know ahead of time. Most of that was Raiden's suggestion, since his codec was currently modified to contact other All-Stars. The use was limited of course, as it would only reach the more technologically advanced characters, that could send or receive transmissions.

"So none if you warned her about Polygon Man, who will probably show up right after they face each other?" Sly asked. Like anyone else, he was worried about the circumstances.

"She would figure it out on her own, why spoil it? We'll all be catching up with Pupuru and that other gal soon." Daxter said, leaning against a wall.

"We should have enough time before either one of them meets the Polygon Man," Cole explained, "that's why I trusted my gut in not telling Pupuru about that. Also, she's going to need our help. She can't do it on her own, so I promised I would come help as soon as I could."

Jak and Kat nodded in agreement. "We already told her that none of us, including Zeus, were able to keep the Polygon Man away." Raiden spoke, staring at the slight reflection of his eyes in his sword. "She may doubt her capabilities, and be defeated by him. Especially if the Polygon Man ends up being more stronger than last time. That's why we need to hurry."

"You seem to neglect Neptune," Nariko pointed out. "According to her, she is the goddess of a land, and has certainly shown it. If Polygon Man takes her life, or whatever he plans to do with All-Stars such as us, then the place she protects shall fall to ruin, surely."

Everyone, except Isaac Clarke and Zeus stared at Nariko, absolutely speechless at that sudden revelation. "Unfortunately, this is true. Weird thing is, while we were traveling with Neptune and we told her about Polygon Man, she felt bad for him." Isaac was just about finished reconnecting things, since Ratchet was distracted by what Nariko said.

"Who cares about what happens to them? Is it really our problem? Especially if that purple brat knew something we didn't." Evil Cole chuckled. Although the likes of Heihachi agreed with him, everyone else shot him a glare.

The Big Daddy— affectionately named "Mr. Bubbles"— was unsure, he was still upset over losing to Neptune, but Sackboy seemed worried. Colonel Radec on the other hand, couldn't care less about the CPU, but he was a tad concerned for Pupuru.

"It will become our problem, if Polygon Man gains too much power, to the point where even you cannot hold him off. Nor will anyone else be able to do so." The words that came out of Kratos stung quite a handful of them. It was true, they still had no idea what Polygon Man's real intents were, but none of them could take their chances.

Evil Cole and Heihachi gave in, as did the Big Daddy. Right on time too, since the machine's destination was set.

A portal opened up, showing the blue, crystalized area. Two characters were fighting, and everyone knew exactly who they were.

* * *

It was too tough. Pupuru managed to successfully use a Super Attack against Purple Heart, in which she respawned to her human form, and continued fighting in that form for a little while.

It seemed that Neptune was the type to save her AP for some reason, rather than constantly wasting it like Pupuru. She constantly tried to stun her opponent, but Pupuru wasn't having any luck with keeping the CPU dazed for long. With little options, Pupuru had to build up for a Level Two, and hope that the flaming waves wouldn't be avoided like Kuu was, constantly.

Eventually, the other All-Stars arrived from the time portal, witnessing the intense battle. They were thankful the duel was still going on, rather than one of them going off to face Polygon Man.

"Pupuru!?" Toro called out to her. However, this only distracted Pupuru, as Neptune managed to unleash a few combos against her with the more normal-looking katana, as opposed to the futuristic one in her HDD form.

"I'll finish you off!" Able to already pull off a Level Two, a giant sword made up of blue and purple particles was summoned. Neptune stepped back, as it struck the ground in front of her, taking out Pupuru in a shockwave. "Easy peazy! I'm gonna win this thing in no time!"

Neptune, being the rather meta character she was, glanced over to the others watching their fight. "Riko! Space-man! You kept your word and decided to watch out for me, huh? I see you brought Sackboy too!" Not seeing Pupuru reappear, and approach her from the side, Neptune was met with ice magic to the face. Pupuru followed it up with a series of spells, items, and making a small combo with her sword. All of which Neptune couldn't fight back much against until she dodged a fireball while rolling.

Using an electrical swipe with her katana, Pupuru held up her shield to block it off, then activating her own Level Two in retaliation for before. Being struck by the flames, Neptune exploded into shapes.

"One gets distracted by our arrival, then the other does too. Maybe we should have stayed hidden, so they can focus better." Emmett suggested. The two combatants were tied in their score once more, and only one of them could get the third, and final point.

Sir Daniel was a bit perplexed, and said something. As usual though, no one was able to understand him, except for Clank. "I must agree with you on that, Daniel. I am also unsure if this is the same goddess character that Nariko was referring to."

Dante couldn't help but snicker, knowing very well how baffled the others were going to be. It was great timing too, because Neptune was getting frustrated. Cutting off a chunk of her leftover AP, she transformed back to Purple Heart right on the spot.

"If either of us is going to lose, then I want to make sure I'm going all out. I did not come such a long way for failure!"

Purple Heart's appearance, like it did for Pupuru, astonished those who did not run into her beforehand. She then proceeded to sweep Pupuru, without missing a beat. "I… take back what I said." Sir Daniel murmured. Kuro though, began staring at Purple Heart lovingly, and had to be bonked on the head by Toro.

Flying towards Pupuru, two fighters continued to clash. Pupuru hit Purple Heart with a pot, much to the CPU's confusion over such a random object. Getting back up, Purple Heart was burned by fire magic, and Pupuru swung her sword at her as a follow-up.

She was responding to her rival's swift movements a little better. There was no way Pupuru would let her win, even with how determined Purple Heart was.

Both of them had a Level One, ready to be used at the most precise moment, in hopes of finishing the battle. Purple Heart used a freezing slice of some kind against Pupuru, then activated hers.

With the Cross Combo attack, Purple Heart knew she had Pupuru, this was it—

"Blind spot!"

Pupuru had rolled behind her, the very second Purple Heart used her Super Attack.

The realization hit Purple Heart like a car— not far off of a comparison either, as Kuu rammed into her back, making the CPU explode into particles.

It happened so fast, but that ended the match. Pupuru somehow came out victorious in the end.

Neptune reappeared, looking bushed about her loss and falling onto her knees. "But… No way that just happened! I'm the main character, right?" Neptune groaned, as Nariko stepped in to help her back up. "Geez, you even go and announce my blind spot, just before dealing that last blow. That's rough!"

"To be fair, you were exceeding what she was used to probably," Isaac said. "You're not going to pass out on us, are you?"

Laughing in a humiliated sort of way, Neptune rubbed her head. "A Nep-Nap sounds good about now, but I know this isn't the time nor the place." Walking up to Neptune, Sackboy comforted her with an innocent smile, being supportive as always.

For Pupuru though, Toro, PaRappa, and Kat all joined on praising her winning that close match. "How did you manage that!?" PaRappa asked her, still trying to figure out what had happened.

"I knew she was going to use her Super Attack the moment I got up, so I rolled before that could even be done, just to be safe. Then, I sent Kuu out when my guess was correct," Pupuru explained. "It was a slight risk, but I could tell she really wanted to end the battle."

That ended the rival fight, but Cole and Kratos were on their guard more than anyone. They knew that he would show up any moment now.

"There's no use in hiding," Cole stated, "you might as well come out now. We know you're here for the newcomers, Polygon Man."

Pupuru froze in her boots, feeling the ground tremble as a giant AP sphere appeared. The arena turned purple, various crystal shards from the pillars were pulled towards the sphere, as if it was a magnet.

A large head was created, along with a pair of yellow eyes, which lit up like small lights.

* * *

 **(No one is surprised, it's Nep. And she's spouting memes before fighting. :V )**


	8. Absolute Power

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

 **Absolute Power**

Not sure what to do, Pupuru could only ask questions. If anything, she needed answers right now more than ever. "You're the Polygon Man?" She asked, while Kuu began to hide behind her boots. The head responded with a nod. "Why did you lure me out of my world?"

"Yeah, and why did you make me fall into some whacky, dimensional vortex!?" Neptune questioned, both her and Sackboy trying to give an angry look at Polygon Man. "I mean, it's normal for my series, but y'know."

"The other, larger worlds remotely connected PlayStation universe are locked off. I cannot reach them, so I decided to focus on something more… niche, and untouched." The Polygon Man explained, floating around. "Smaller worlds, such as yours, I would take to aid my progress! Had either of you reached me on your own, I would have taken your power, and made you into my underlings."

Spike, putting on a brave face, stepped forward. "Well, now you won't be able to! We're all here, because we knew you would do something like that! We're going to all band together, and—"

"Try to put me away?" Polygon Man interrupted. "How well did that work in the past? Even with the King of the Gods at your side? What can be achieved this time?"

No one had an answer. It seemed like no matter what, Polygon Man would return. Even though Neptune looked mad, she didn't seem bothered by what was said. "I dunno what that means for a CPU like myself, but I can still give it a shot, if you're gonna be mean. Which really, I don't wanna do, P-Man. Can I call you that?"

He was almost insulted at how casually Neptune was addressing him, even if it almost felt familiar. Polygon Man almost wanted to ask if they had met before, due to the familiarity of the events, and Neptune's attitude. But he couldn't let Neptune speak of his past either. Surely, Polygon Man would be ridiculed for his motives, be seen as petty, or his threats being nullified. "I would rather not hear anything from the likes of all of you. Enough of this banter, I am going to simply cut to the chase."

Several clones of the existing characters were summoned to the field. Polygon Man closed off Pupuru to face one of them. "You are the one who defeated your rival, so it's only fair I face you myself, while your friends face my never-ending minions."

The first one to face Pupuru was a copy of Emmett, who summoned a turret of some kind to be dropped near her and Kuu, while Polygon Man kept taunting her. The turret began firing, but Pupuru acted fast with her sword. It was simple enough, knocking him around and dodging the clone's attacks. "You have four chances at this. Lose them all to the clones I create, and you shall join them!" Polygon Man taunted her. He didn't even get the chance to change shape however, to make things more difficult. Pupuru got a Level One as quick as possible, then stunned the Emmett clone, so she could send Kuu out.

Four chances. That must have meant Pupuru was only allowed to get struck by the clones three times, otherwise she would be finished for good. Polygon Man, not being the type to completely learn his lesson from last time, slammed his head down where Pupuru was. She was hit, but it really did nothing other than take out small amount of AP from her. Pupuru wasn't even properly crushed like Polygon Man intended, just smacked away if anything.

Swinging a pot at Polygon Man, he winced in pain. Pupuru began blasting ice magic at him afterwards, before he finally flung himself back into the air. "You dare lay a hand on the master?" Polygon Man tried to intimidate Pupuru, but neither her nor Kuu had a single care.

Two more copies were formed, but of Dante and Evil Cole this time. Picking up a railgun, Pupuru pointed a red laser at the two clones. A quick stun that made them fall over, and gave her a small amount of AP.

"Do you want to know something, newcomer? At one point, I was not able to create clones. I had to use All-Stars that had fallen, in order to reach my goal. However, those who had beaten their rivals managed to break my influence upon defeating me." Polygon Man explained in an egotistical manner. "It was impressive, but unfortunately, it only made me strong enough to create copies of the All-Stars on my own accord. After my second defeat, I ended up gaining even more power!"

Pupuru was struggling a bit more now, the clone of Evil Cole constantly was firing bolt at her. There wasn't much for Pupuru to do besides hold up her shield, and try to ignore Polygon Man's taunts. Rolling towards the two, Pupuru tossed a fireball at Evil Cole. "Can you survive the mind melting intensity?" Polygon Man asked, before he used the shards of his head to change shape.

He transformed into Hades; the giant, helmeted God of the Underworld. A loud roar was heard from Polygon Man, doing a perfect imitation of the god. His weapons, a pair of glowing claws, were going to be brought down in hopes of stunning Pupuru.

Being smart enough to recognize a hazard, Pupuru jumped at the moment the imitation Hades slammed against the arena. The Dante clone picked up a Dohvat Laser, trying to point it where Pupuru was located. Unleashing a series of bombs from above once the trigger was pulled, Pupuru rolled out of the way, then threw the Dante clone to steal his AP, and force him to drop the item.

The imitation Hades tried to stop Pupuru again, but failed. Slicing at the two clones, and then using a scroll on the Evil Cole one, Pupuru had enough AP for a Level Two Super Attack. Awaiting for them to get back up and get close, she used it. Both of them exploded from the fiery waves, and Pupuru looked over to Polygon Man, who had changed back to normal form. "Mere doppelgängers aren't enough to stop me, Polygon Man! I've faced worse than this in my world!" She yelled, while Kuu began glaring at him.

"So, you persist! A new challenge should be arranged, but for now," he prepared to try to crush Pupuru, "another!"

This time, Pupuru moved out of the way before Polygon Man could strike. She had also picked up the Dohvat Laser, which she took after the copies of Dante and Evil Cole were eliminated. Firing two sets of bombs, which were the remaining uses it had, Polygon Man's face was damaged by Pupuru's assault. "Relying on items? Hardly fair, but whatever makes you believe that you have a glimmer of hope."

All three of the clones— Emmett, Dante, and Evil Cole— were respawned by Polygon Man.

It was going to be hectic now. The Evil Cole clone launched himself at her, engulfed in flames, while the Emmett copy dropped a Launcher Supply Bunker.

Thankfully, the Dante wasn't too much of a threat, besides him being near a Nanotech Crate, which Pupuru broke open to take the AP contents. Just enough to regain a Level One. She wasn't going to use that however, since it seemed like one of the clones could cancel it out.

She could use a Level Two once there was enough AP, but she would rather get rid of all of them in a single sweep.

Pupuru was going for a Level Three. _Again._ She had enough chances to unless her luck turned for the worse. An unusual item, looking like a miniature satellite. Picking them up to activate them, they began floating around Pupuru, firing lasers at her opponents as she was forced to collide with them.

* * *

Outside of the blocked off area, everyone else struggled with the many clones that were present. Fat Princess used her Level Two to summon a chicken, which she proceeded to ride on to eliminate several of them. PaRappa did the same on a skateboard, and Heihachi called in Kuma to help out.

"Shouldn't we be bringing in the big guns?" Spike asked. Out of everyone there, he had some of the fastest AP gain for some reason, and was itching to use a Level Three.

"If you can, it would be a big help," Nariko replied, "I have a feeling though that Neptune is not too far away from you, in terms of preparing a Level Three."

That struck Spike's curiosity quite a bit. With her other two Super Attacks into consideration, what was Neptune's Level Three like? The weird thing was, Nariko didn't know the answer either, despite tagging along on the CPU's adventure.

Colonel Radec couldn't help but glance over to the arena Pupuru was fighting in. He didn't want to admit it, but he really hoped she would make it out of there. Pupuru had beaten him after all. It would be a waste if this newcomer ended up losing to Polygon Man.

"Neptune, what are you doing? Hurry it up with that Level Three." Isaac Clarke mumbled to himself, watching Purple Heart slice through her enemies.

* * *

The unusual satellites had run their course after a while, and Pupuru was halfway to reaching her Level Three. This was in her hands now, none of the clones gotten enough AP before she did, except for the one of Evil Cole. She was still cautious of him out of everyone, focusing more on the Emmett clone while dodging Polygon Man— who had transformed into a pair of Turbo Cannons this time. He took aim at the arena, and kept firing at her.

But with one last sword swing, Pupuru had enough AP to use her Level Three. Opening the old book once again, Pupuru unleashed the power of the god of her world, three lights completely obliterating the clones that were present.

Turning back to his regular state, Polygon Man smirked. "You've been practicing!… I suppose this is the part where you expect me to bring myself down a third time, so you can finish me off?"

Pupuru and Kuu flinched. They did expect that admittedly, and under normal circumstances, it seemed that it was Polygon Man's pattern.

"I tire of repeating things, especially now that I'm aware that such an attack will not work, and will lead to a third defeat. I hay have been arrogant before with letting my underlings do all the work, but now…!"

His shape began to change yet again, one that didn't seem to be based off of any stage hazards.

Instead, it looked as if he had taken a humanoid form, now being around the same height as Zeus. The same, purple colored body parts as before, but now wearing a uniform of some kind.

A light-blue outfit, possible made from AP or the shapes that was present in the area. A cape also formed, appearing to be a crystalized, darker shade of blue, as if he had taken particles from the Rival Arena.

"W-what are you? Some kind of god!?" Pupuru wondered aloud.

Interrupting his dramatic appearance, Polygon Man's expression changed from overconfidence to thinking about how should answer that.

"Er, yes, of course," he lied. "I am god of this world. How can someone like you,hope to challenge supreme, invincible king like me? The energy of the PlayStation universe is mine to manipulate, and none can exist without me!"

It was such a transparent lie too, as Kuu growled at him. "You're bluffing!" Pupuru snapped, pointing a finger at him angrily. "If you were telling the truth, you wouldn't have hesitated, and said it more casually like Zeus and Neptune did! Quit making everyone your personal toys, you… freaky, purple-head weirdo!" He winced at the insult, as petty as it was, and clearly made on the spot rather than something creative.

"I'm not going to take that from you!" Landing onto the ground of the arena, Polygon Man created a duplicate of Nariko's sword on the spot, then showed it off. "If I can transform into hazards and create clones, I can mimic the All-Stars you have met as well. The first to be destroyed four times, loses!"

* * *

Nariko gritted her teeth, obviously unhappy that Polygon Man managed to fabricate her Heavenly Sword. Just as her, Sweet Tooth, Cole, and Spike were about to use their Level Three Super Attacks.

"How dare he… Trying to make his own versions of the weapons and powers that all these warriors use, including the sword which I wield!" Nariko activated her "Goddess" Super Attack, taking her fury out on the clones, while surrounded by a divine light.

Cole was using an Ionic Storm to sweep away as many copies as he could. Sweet Tooth, in his truck which had transformed into Mecha Tooth, fired the machine gun that was attached to the mech, while stomping on those who came too close.

"Time to bring in the big gun!" Spike announced, as a laser cannon of some kind turned on. Pointing towards what seemed like nowhere, it fired, being sent off into space. It was reflected by a satellite and came back, obliterating several clones.

PaRappa and Toro cheered him on for the success. "We nearly have all of them!" Nathan Drake pointed out, pushing over a statue made of stone pillars onto some clones, which killed them. "Who else has a Level Three ready?"

Isaac Clarke turned to Purple Heart, hoping she was prepared, and it seemed like in actuality, she was for a while. "I've been saving this for the right chance," she said, "I'll end this, with Neptune Break!"

She leapt onto walls for a second, before jumping at the remaining clones, slicing through them and flying around wildly until they were flung up into the air.

"The finishing strike!" Purple Heart announced, flying up towards them and swinging her katana downwards, forcing the clones to have a crash-landing to the ground. A purple explosion came after the impact, as all of the clones were destroyed.

That certainly did it. Polygon Man wasn't focused on summoning more minions because his main concern was now fighting Pupuru. Watching the scene, Purple Heart approached the barrier, placing a hand over it.

"Is there any way this barrier can be dispelled?" Purple Heart asked, not even looking at anyone else as she said it. "Such as with a Super Attack?"

"If it were that easy, a whole bunch of use would have 'accidentally' destroyed it by now." Dante replied.

Purple Heart knew she had to help, and it wasn't just Pupuru who needed it, in the CPU's eyes.

* * *

Polygon Man had everything.

The lightning bolts from both versions of Cole, Dante's Arbiter hurl, the Big Daddy's cyclone trap, Toro's scorpion which could pull Pupuru towards him, along with various blades and guns from other All-Stars.

All of these things, Polygon Man could create perfect imitations of. Pupuru had already wasted a Super Attack, and then was killed by a Level One, which involved aiming a blast of unusual power in Pupuru's direction. She did get him with a Level Two at least, after building up a lot of AP.

Polygon Man respawned, chuckling at her. "Do not confuse your good fortune with skill, in fact, I would rather see more of the latter." He lifted himself off of the ground. "Let's play a game, newcomer. I call it, 'Dodge the Super Attack'. The best part is, you have no idea which one I'm going to use!"

Instantly gaining a huge boost in AP, Polygon Man reached a Level One, and prepared himself. He started off by using a copy of the Divine Fury, which belonged to Kratos.

She recognized it, and jumped above Polygon Man to avoid it. Pupuru brought her sword down on him after his burst of energy wore off. Waiting for him to be open again when Polygon Man got up, Pupuru threw spices in his face successfully, allowing her to send Kuu out for her Super Attack.

Returning to the arena after a couple of seconds, Polygon Man scowled at Pupuru. "Must I waste one more on you already? Very well," he said, this time boosting his AP up to Level Two. "I'm sure you remember this one well enough!"

An imitation cannon of some sort was created by his own hands, Polygon Man pointed it at Pupuru, then fired a burst of green plasma.

Yup, Pupuru recognized that one too. That was Colonel Radec's Level Two. Just like last time, she couldn't react to it properly. The both of them were even with how many tries they had left. Thankfully, Polygon Man wasn't going to cheat like that again until he was eliminated again. Pupuru still had to be careful anyway, knowing it would cost her.

It came down to Pupuru having to be quick with responding to whatever Polygon Man used. Either she had to dodge, block, or counter-attack. That and throw him, so she could steal some of his AP. Going for a Level Two sounded like a good option right now. Pupuru cautiously attempted to build that up, making sure Polygon Man didn't try anything either.

Problem was, Polygon Man was definitely adapting to some of her actions, and also threw Pupuru to take her AP, which was followed by combo attacks. Inevitably, Pupuru did reach her Level Two, and used it once there was moment where Polygon Man couldn't try to avoid it, mainly when he was cornered against a wall.

"You are not ready!" Polygon Man yelled upon his return, knowing that unless he got Pupuru twice in a row this next attempt, he would lose. "Brace yourselves, for the grand finale!"

Reaching his power to the maximum level, Polygon Man gave Pupuru a sinister look. Her and Kuu didn't know what to expect…

But their first thought, was definitely not Polygon Man flying to the back of the stage, and turning to the size of a giant.

She didn't know what to do, other than obviously avoid Polygon Man's hands, which were trying to crush her. Pupuru jumped, right as Polygon Man tried to electrocute the ground.

Getting too close to one of the attacks, Pupuru exploded into shapes. She respawned, dreading how she would waste her last, and final life. But by the time she avoided another attack…

The Level Three had run its course. Polygon Man returned to normal size.

He was embarrassed. Polygon Man had borrowed Zeus's Level Three— and he had no idea how to time it properly against a single opponent. That's why Pupuru was able avoid him, partly. It was a poor performance, but he couldn't show weakness. "I underestimated just how quickly you can move around. It seems as if things will have be to settled traditionally, since I can't use anymore surprise attacks."

"Is that so?" Pupuru grinned, holding her wand up high while her body glowed, having a Level One stored in her the whole time. "You can't use something from back over there?"

Polygon Man raised a brow and turned to the background. "Don't be ridiculous! There is nothing of use in—"

Attacking him from behind, Kuu struck Polygon Man with his utensils, making Polygon Man explode into shapes.

It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, yet Polygon Man fell for it, despite his self-proclaimed status of being a superior being. He didn't even get the chance to use anything else, all four of the tries Polygon Man had were depleted to none remaining.

Reappearing, Polygon Man had no more energy left to fight. On top of that, he ran out of power to keep the barrier up.

"H-how could I be so easily fooled by something such as that?" Polygon Man grunted, falling onto his knees, while Pupuru and Kuu stepped over to him. "Stay away!" He snapped, not seeing Purple Heart approach him from behind.

"Polygon Man," Purple Heart said, "enough, I know why you're doing this."

He tensed up, unable to move. Not wishing to look at anyone, Polygon Man only stared at the floor. "You were one of the first beings to exist in the PlayStation universe, but were rejected. You were going to be, the mascot, weren't you? But you were exiled to this pocket dimension instead," she continued, "you did nothing wrong, but exist. Upon being put away, you watched as every All-Star became recognized and loved." Polygon Man began shuddering, not pleased with the truth being recalled so well.

"From characters who act as mascots," Purple Heart glanced at Kratos and Toro. "To those who were there from the beginning," she directed at Sweet Tooth and PaRappa.

Polygon Man carefully got up, without any help and still trying to avoid eye contact. "Those who have had many adventures in their world, those who had crossed to other paths before, and those who are recognized greatly," she pointed the katana at him carefully.

"It's obvious, from the way you make clones, then imitate the abilities of everyone. You want to be just like all of them, and you thought bringing in those who didn't have those qualities would—"

"In your case, it does not apply." Polygon Man interrupted, his back still turned on Purple Heart. "For someone so niche, you have many things to hold you up, unlike," he focused on Pupuru and Kuu, "you two."

Blinking, Pupuru's expression went from pity for Polygon Man, to confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked, quietly.

"A single, lackluster adventure, in a small world, not looked at by many. You and your dimension will be lost in the sands of time, and forgotten." Polygon Man explained, not even smirking in a devious manner as he spoke, like he usually would. "Someone such as you doesn't fit at all, and despite that, I brought you into the All-Stars. Are you not envious of them?"

Pupuru understood what Polygon Man meant. "No. Why would I? I enjoyed the quest in my world," she smiled softly, "and I enjoyed the one that you pulled me into." Polygon Man's eyes lit up, surprised to hear that from her.

"Listen, Polygon Man," Purple Heart started again, "on top of being jealous, you're also afraid of being alone. You can change for the better. The others could not do anything, but as a CPU, I might have power over you. As such, I do not want to finish you off."

"Wait, Neptune, can I say something?" Pupuru asked, also wishing to find a way to stop Polygon Man, peacefully. "Polygon Man, you brought everyone together and introduced the All-Star rules, just like I said. And… it's the most fun I've ever had!

"I've also heard nothing but how much fun the All-Stars have, when battling and talking to each other. You've done bad, but it's clear you did something good." Pupuru said, trying to make herself clear to him. "You don't have to try and eliminate everyone else, because it's going to make you even more alone in the end, just like Neptune said!"

Pupuru reached out her hand to Polygon Man, Kuu remained skeptical, and Polygon Man was completely speechless.

He got up properly, his power being almost unusable. "You want me… to not take over the worlds, but instead, unite them? Do you really think that will get others to," he choked back his emotion, "not see me as useless?" Polygon Man didn't shake the hand Pupuru was offering, he didn't know what he wanted.

Before either Pupuru or Purple Heart could respond, Polygon Man cut them off. "I need time to think this over," he said. Snapping his fingers, several portals, revealing home worlds were opened up. "If everyone could leave for the time being, until my thoughts are straightened out. That would be preferable, since I require space."

No one was able to say anything else to him as Polygon Man particle body began to vanish, leaving the giant sphere of AP to float towards another direction.

"Poor Polygon Man," Toro mewed, "it must have been hard all of those years by himself."

Zeus of course, was not so sympathetic, predictably. "Poor him? That false god, stealing my ultimate attack, and using it flimsily!"

"Say, Pupuru, does this mean you're leaving?" PaRappa asked.

"For now? It's best that Kuu and I get home for some sleep," she replied, "I don't know how we'll cross again, so if this is the last time we see each other… then I just want all of you to know, it was wonderful to meet everyone. The All-Star battles were probably more enjoyable than my regular, dungeon-crawling experiences!"

Transforming back to normal, Neptune saw Sackboy running up to her. "Aw, I'm gonna miss you too! I gotta go back, or I'll get nagged at!" Seeing her embrace Sackboy, Kuu walked up to Kat one last time for a goodbye hug.

Everyone that Pupuru and Kuu ran into throughout her adventure— with the exception of a bitter Heihachi and a completely silent Colonel Radec— all said farewell to the newcomer.

She definitely wanted to see all of them again, and soon.

* * *

 **(Originally, this chapter was going to be split into two parts, but if I did that, it became too short, so I went and pasted the whole thing.**

 **Next week, the finale that wraps everything up, which will be PSASBR's 4th anniversary!)**


	9. Peace at Last

**CHAPTER NINE**

 **Peace at Last**

 _…_

It had been over a week, and not a word from the PlayStation All-Stars.

Pupuru wasn't inclined to give up, but she really wished now that she said more when they were about to part ways.

Dragging her finger around a wooden table, Kuu also looked bored. There was so much more Pupuru would have talked about, but she simply didn't want to leave her world behind for too long. Especially if something happened. She never wanted to miss anything.

But now, she missed having the All-Stars around. Pupuru wanted to chat more about what happened during the previous times Polygon Man had plotted against them. Pupuru wanted to hang out with Kat again, learn even more things about All-Star battles from Toro, ask Neptune about what brought her in, talk about their own worlds in general, find out what Colonel Radec's issue was—

"Are you alright, Pupuru?" A young man asked, having a light, tan hair color, and wearing a chef's outfit. "You haven't been yourself ever since you traveled. Did you catch a cold while adventuring to those other places?"

Laughing nervously, Pupuru lifted her head. "It's nothing, Nicholi. Thanks for your concern though."

That was when the door opened, a ringing sound coming from the little bell attached to it. Pupuru only glanced quickly, thinking it was probably one of her friends.

"Uh, hey there, newcomer girl."

Instead though, there stood Nathan Drake.

"Mr. Drake!?" Pupuru snapped out of her mood, surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

Sitting down at another table, he dug through his backpack. "I was trying to figure what the heck I was supposed to do with the crap I collected in that volcano!" Pausing for a good moment, Nathan Drake took out several bags of ingredients. "Kat suggested I bring them to you, since you're good with whatever this is."

Her face lit up. "This is fantastic, Mr. Drake! It's always good for me or Nicholi to have extra ingredients, just in case we run short." Pupuru glanced at Nicholi, trying to keep the bagged ingredients away from a hungry-looking Kuu, then back at Nathan Drake. "Nicholi can make you something if you're hungry. How are the others, if I may ask?"

Taking a look at a menu nearby, Nathan Drake figured he might as well order something. It was a bit of a walk, and he had a rather small lunch. "They're actually on their way here, they probably got a little lost." Pointing at the dish which actually grabbed his interest, Nathan Drake handed the menu to Nicholi, who smiled.

"So I'm going to have more customers?" Nicholi chuckled.

Swinging the door open, Daxter stepped in. "You bet you are! Man, I'm starving. That flight shouldn't have taken so long!" With little patience, the ottsel jumped to a chair. Along with him was Jak, predictably.

Pupuru wasn't sure if this many could fit into the shop, but Nicholi did had an outdoor area for eating just in case that happened. Cole MacGrath came in next, along with Kat and Dusty.

"Pardon me," Toro politely mewed, also joining them, and having a joyous look upon seeing Pupuru was there. "Pupuru! And Kuu! It's great to see you again!" Bowing to them, Kuro pushed the respectful Toro to the side, just to sit down. Pupuru and Kuu both giggled. Either way, Pupuru invited Toro to sit with her and Kat.

Eventually, everyone else began pouring in. Spike, Emmett Graves, Raiden, Dante, the Big Daddy and Little Sister duo, all arrived so suddenly. PaRappa quickly joined the table Pupuru was sitting at. Out of everyone that suddenly arrived, he was probably the most eager. Somehow, Sly managed to bring his whole van over to the place, inviting his two best friends, Bentley and Murray.

Similarly, Sweet Tooth's truck parked near the shop a few minutes later. Inside was the demented clown himself, Kratos, Fat Princess, and Sir Daniel Fortesque. "Hello boys and girls!" Sweet Tooth laughed. He didn't plan on having anything, and Fat Princess wasn't sure of trying something that wasn't a dessert of some kind.

Sir Daniel of course, wasn't able to eat, but he just wanted to join in the nice get-together. On top of that, he had gold to spare, in case anyone was short on paying Nicholi for the meal. On that note, Nicholi saw the truck outside, becoming rather curious. "That's a very strange wagon, sir. Do you grill fish at festivals?" He asked Sweet Tooth, not afraid of the clown's appearance at all.

He had no idea how to respond to Nicholi's ignorance on the existence of ice cream, and vehicles. For once, thankfully, Kratos had his rival covered on that. "He gives out cold desserts, while driving that wagon." This explanation definitely worked, since neither Kratos or Nicholi seemed familiar with modern technology. Either way, this was the second most awkward moment Sweet Tooth had experienced.

Ratchet and Clank showed up next, with Captain Qwark as well. "We couldn't get rid of him, he really wanted to come with us." Ratchet whispered to Pupuru. "So I apologize ahead of time if he starts annoying everyone." Pupuru didn't seem to mind too terribly however, remembering that Qwark liked the curry that she made herself.

Soon came Heihachi Mishima, Zeus, Evil Cole, and Colonel Radec. The former two instantly got invested with the festivities, and Nicholi preparing several meals. Toro decided to help him, by taking some orders from those who actually wanted to try something from Smile Curry.

"Heeeeeere's Neptune!"

Entering the shop, was the all familiar rival Pupuru had faced before Polygon Man. Nariko and Isaac Clarke were with her, while Sackboy was riding her shoulder.

"How's it holding, rival buddy of mine? Riko and space-man had to escort me here, since I couldn't figure out what crazy, dimensional thing in my world would warp me to yours." At this point, everyone was here, and the outdoor section had to be used, so it wasn't so crowded. Kratos, Radec, Evil Cole, and Sweet Tooth didn't mind this, willingly separating themselves.

After a long period of time, everyone had the curry dishes that they ordered. A lot of the reactions were highly pleased. PaRappa convinced Fat Princess to not be stubborn and picky, so she could try one of the more sweet flavors. It was a surprise to see her quickly get into it after one bite. Daxter though, underestimated how strong the spicy dish he ordered was. Jak and a few others couldn't help but laugh about it. He ended up having to down a whole glass of water, and asked Cole to use ice powers on him.

* * *

Pupuru, Kuu, Neptune and Sackboy ended up going outside. "Are you sure none of you want anything?" Pupuru asked all of them.

"I am not that hungry." Kratos replied, while Evil Cole muttered rude remarks under his breath.

"Well, um, next time you come here, and crave something, I recommend this Starlight Curry. It's really delicious!" Pupuru was hoping Kratos wouldn't be annoyed with her persistence, but he didn't mind actually, finding it almost endearing.

"Come to think of it," Neptune examined Pupuru's apron, shirt, and boots, "you seem to have a fascination with stars or something. Call it a theme I noticed! Why is that?"

She had a feeling this would come up at some point. "I love both curry and stargazing, because both things remind me of my father." Pupuru explained, "We used to look at the stars, and make curry together, when I was younger. I can't see him anymore now, but…"

Kratos and Neptune gave a serious look, while Sackboy seemed rather sad. Radec was carefully listening in, but pretended to look disinterested.

"Do you know what happened to the old man, sugar?" Sweet Tooth wondered. "Is he dead, or just—"

"Kane!" Sweet Tooth was then punched in the gut by Kratos for that question. He didn't want the clown making dark suggestions, since Sweet Tooth was well-known for a few murders.

"I… I don't know." Pupuru answered, quietly. "Finding him is one of my goals though, as you once asked me, Kratos. I'm sorry I didn't mention it, when we were in the truck."

Sighing, Kratos calmed down, hoping he didn't have to silence Sweet Tooth again. "Family and loved ones are a sensitive subject for a lot of us, which includes myself. I understand why you did not inform any of us of it… Many of the All-Stars have sorrows, and losses that tie us together."

Kratos looked back into the window. Mainly at PaRappa, Spike, Toro, and Fat Princess. "Of course, there are exceptions. Those who are blissful as ever in their worlds. Regardless, you are not so different from us. I am sure your father is somewhere in this world."

Once they were finished talking, Pupuru was alerted by the sound of a motorcycle running. One in particular, that was burned not only in her brain, but Sweet Tooth's. Coming into their line of vision and stopping, Mr. Grimm got off of his ride. "Lollipop? I was wondering about you! Looks like you can't keep away from us." Sweet Tooth joked.

"No more games, Needles Kane!" Mr. Grimm interrupted Neptune, withdrawing his scythe. "I am here for you, and whatever souls are around here that I can devour, but especially you!"

"Aww, I'm flattered, lollipop. You should know more than anyone though, that I'm not that kind of guy!" Naturally, Sweet Tooth's torment greatly irritated the grim reaper.

Pupuru couldn't help but find this sort of situation similar to how a conversation with Zeo goes. In fact, her first thought was how comparable it was. Pupuru and Zeo respected each other, usually, and she would make fun of Zeo with the nicknames, just like Sweet Tooth does to Mr. Grimm. Only difference being to her, was there being a much more hostile feeling to it. Maybe Mr. Grimm, like Zeo, wasn't too bad once he was less violent.

"Puny organic lifeforms, your time is up!"

Neptune's attention snapped to Dr. Nefarious. Joining him oddly enough, intentional or otherwise, was Specter.

"We meet again, human girl. This time, I'll show you just how great my powers are—"

Neptune interrupted both of their dramatic introductions. "Tsundere bot? Here? Does this mean I raised a flag after all!?"

"Y-you silence yourself!" Nefarious objected, "I will have the last laugh! I'm going to rid of you disgusting squishies," he then pulled out an unusual weapon, "with the Sheepinator! One of my personal favorites!"

Specter rolled his eyes at Nefarious, stupefied. "Sheepinator? Seriously?" He shook his head in disappointment. "I was going to bring in the Goliath, I expected something on my level of intelligence since you were an evil doctor, but it seems my expectations—"

"Are you mocking me, you filthy animal!?" Nefarious snapped, pointing the Sheepinator at Specter.

No longer focused on Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm approached the two villains instead. "You two scram. I was here first, and I'm going to claim every soul in this area. Get in my way, and you shall join them!" Specter and Nefarious winced at the threat, along with Mr. Grimm's frightening presence. It especially did not help that his motorcycle helmet was not on, so they could see his skull.

Kratos was ready to fend them off, while Evil Cole was tempted to just kill all three of them. Sweet Tooth wanted to simply watch the show, and Colonel Radec had walked away from the scene.

Before Kratos could do anything though, Neptune stopped him. "Hold on boys, I got this!" Transforming into Purple Heart, she swiftly flew towards the three that were disputing, slicing the Sheepinator in half.

"Now then," Purple Heart spoke, "no one here wants to fight. We were all here, relaxing. Why don't the three of you do the same?" There was a collection of differing reactions. Specter was froze up at the sight of the CPU, Nefarious was upset over the destruction of his favorite weapon, while Mr. Grimm didn't seem to express anything.

"Hold it!"

Just when it seemed everything had calmed down, Gigadis just happened to arrive, Zarok dragging himself along. Kratos was instantly wary of the both of them, but noticed that neither Pupuru nor Kuu were present. Funnily enough, Gigadis was smart enough to realize it as well.

"Hm? I see all of the strange characters she encountered, but my sweetheart isn't around?" Zarok couldn't help but groan at him. Gigadis had been rambling to the wizard since they encountered, Zarok was starting to regret assisting him, since this was somehow a bigger priority than taking over Gallowmere.

"Pupuru, you mean? Not here anymore, I'm afraid," Purple Heart replied, "I believe I saw her following that man in the gas mask." Staring at the CPU, Gigadis grinned, while Zarok prepared himself for whatever cringe-inducing words would come out of Gigadis next.

"W-well, I suppose it's no problem. I can hold a conversation with you, until Pupuru returns. What is your name, madam?"

Everyone was so noisy and having such a good time inside of Smile Curry, that it seemed that none of them noticed the commotion going on. That was for the better, really. No reason to ruin all the fun. Especially when Polygon Man arrived, last but not least, in his humanoid form. Those who did not recognize him were puzzled, while the few All-Stars outside were surprised.

Too unsure how to greet them, he awkwardly stood there, politely waving. "I… I've made up my mind," he finally said, "I'm going to do what you suggested."

He didn't want events to repeat, now that memories were becoming more clear. Polygon Man was going to change, for the greater good, which would start by participating in this party.

Once he showed up, everything going on, outside and in, went better than expected. Even for the sudden intruders.

* * *

"Is there any reason you decided to follow me?" Radec asked, coldly. Going for a walk around the town, Radec merely wanted to understand his surroundings for future reference, and get away from the nonsense. Pupuru hadn't said much, since she had been lacking the courage to do so.

"I, um, wanted to just chat with you, but didn't know what to say… You didn't want some curry?"

"No," he replied, "I can't risk the possibility of you, or someone else poisoning me."

"Ah, alri— poison!?" Pupuru exclaimed, bewildered at the accusation. "I wouldn't do that, especially after you helped me that one time! I don't think anyone else would either!"

She couldn't help but wonder if Radec just hated her for winning that battle. That wasn't exactly the case however. He just had his suspicions, knowing well that before, Pupuru was trying to show genuine gratitude. It just felt too nice, for someone like him.

Maybe she should try a different approach. "I would like to know more about your world, if it's not too much trouble."

He stopped walking, but didn't bother looking at Pupuru. "The most I can tell you without diving too deeply, is that Helghan is under assault by the ISA. War has been waged for years between the two. As such, someone like me, with power, is needed to slaughter the ISA scum."

War and outright slaughter were things Pupuru wasn't used to hearing about. It was expected, because of how tame her world was. "It is too much of a long explanation, the history of the Helghast and ISA. That is why I kept it short." He didn't want to delve into how morally ambiguous the whole situation was. Neither side was particularly "good", but Radec was often viewed as the antagonistic sort of character.

"Why are you not there then?"

Radec knew that question would be asked, leading him to go completely silent. The truth was, Radec was defeated in a battle, and offed himself to spare the humiliation of being captured, or killed by the enemy.

Somehow, he was revived, possibly from the Polygon Man. Same as ever, no bullet wounds in his head. Colonel Radec overheard the existence of more opponents, who could threaten Helghan. "I cannot return. My mission is now to protect the people of Helghan from whatever forces come from the other worlds. That is why Polygon Man's return, and you being pulled into this, was a concern of mine."

Now Pupuru at least knew what lead to him running into Sir Daniel. "I know what you are thinking. I was simply rusty when facing that jawless freak, and I let my guard down, just like I did with you." His sudden stern words made Pupuru cover her mouth, hoping Radec couldn't see the giggling smile on her face, even Kuu couldn't help but snicker at him.

"Well, I think you're a brave man, even if you're merciless with how you fight, and maybe a bit mean to others. You just want to protect your world."

Radec went quiet again, until he felt the girl hug him from the side.

"What are you doing now?"

"S-sorry, I figured you wanted… comfort?"

Such a thing seemed weak to Colonel Radec, yet he didn't particularly mind it enough to shove her away. Still a bit embarrassing for him. "That's quite alright, no need for such a thing. Your pet seems to be upset by it." He directed Pupuru's attention to Kuu, who was growling at what was going on. Pupuru promptly stopped her hug upon realizing Kuu expressing his dismay.

From now on, it seemed the colonel had an admirer, in the form of the small sorceress, as bizarre as it was.

* * *

The rest of the night, Sweet Tooth treated everyone to ice cream. Nicholi thanked Toro for the help. Pupuru hadn't left Radec's side, even when they returned. Kuu instantly made his way to the ice cream upon coming back also, when it was being given out. Needless to say, Gigadis was upset that his previous suspicions ended up being true.

Polygon Man, ironically, had become friendly with those who nearly crashed the party, especially Dr. Nefarious. Most likely because Polygon Man wasn't an organic being, who antagonized Ratchet and Clank at some point.

He even jokingly offered to give Dr. Nefarious the power to become a PlayStation All-Star. This somewhat backfired, as Nefarious, Specter, Mr. Grimm, and even Zarok instantly expressed interest. This of course, made their respective enemies worried.

Mr. Grimm had calmed down, and decided to chat with Neptune, who was telling the others about her world; Gamindustri. Turns out, there was another goddess like her who represented all things PlayStation, and said other CPU had mentioned Polygon Man in the past, which is how Neptune knew about his background.

When Polygon Man's power was brought up, Sir Daniel suggested that bring in someone like a talking lizard he had met once. Cole remembered the Street Fighter characters, during a time where he had ran into Heihachi and Toro before currently.

Kratos also recalled running into a vengeful, undead being of some kind that was a ninja once in his life. Neptune on the other hand, mentioned that since some of the lesser worlds are close together, that there were probably whacky, cameo appearances in her own. Alternatively, the actual CPU who personified PlayStation could step in.

Maybe all of this was a start, to a new future for the All-Stars. For now though, it was best to leave things as they were, joyfully.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **(That's the end everyone! Happy fourth anniversary to PlayStation All-Stars! :D**

 **So… what's next? This was just a remake I wanted to do for fun. Please don't expect Tournament and other fan-fics to get a makeover.**

 **However, for the readers that followed along this whole way through, I have something to ask of you. And normally… I don't like advertising too much, but it's because a friend is involved.**

 **I'm currently working on a collaboration story with Hewhoimagines. He has a deviantArt, and just got a fan-fiction account! Together, we're making a "true final" chapter that's a sequel to _Gamindustri Clash_ … you know, that fan-fic from two years back?**

 **It's called _Gamindustri Clash: The Four Outsiders_. A lot of the characters from the past tales return for it, while new ones come in. It's about those that are forgotten suddenly wanting revenge, and gamers who fall into a world of their favorite icons. Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and SEGA mascots coming together, against a new threat.**

 **We put a lot of effort into it, and had a lot of fun, so I kindly ask that four of you reading right now– Marcus the Kane, X/Y Kid, 9feetnerd, and that nameless guest user– to go check it out when the first chapter is published! This goes for other readers as well. It will be in the crossover category for Playstation All-Stars and Super Smash Bros.**

 **Would really appreciate it, with that, see you then!)**


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